What is the major difference between the transform boundary and the convergent or divergent boundaries of plates?
The major difference lies in the fate of the crust at these boundaries. At divergent boundaries, new crust is generated as the plates pull away from each other. At convergent boundaries, the crust is destroyed as one plate dives under another at subduction zones.
However, at transform boundaries, the crust is neither produced nor destroyed as the plates slide horizontally past each other. Thus, while convergent and divergent boundaries involve creation or destruction of crust, transform boundaries involve only horizontal sliding motion without any change to the crust.
Explanation
The textbook clearly distinguishes the three boundary types based on crust behavior: Divergent boundaries generate new crust, convergent boundaries destroy crust through subduction, and transform boundaries neither produce nor destroy crust. This distinction is the key difference asked in the question.