icl me29, was the first machine I operated on the company I worked on only keep it for another 2 weeks after I started b4 they upgraded to a 3980, and the me29 was sent to India, happy days.
@agghtee Yes but in France TeleTel was free and installed in everyone's homes. Pity they couldn't have done that here with Prestel, it might not have died so early.
Wasn't there some problem with Prestel...something strange like Prince Philip's account being hacked in to? This lad I knew called Siraj had Prestel at his house in something like 1984. It seemed like magic at the time!
I had access to Prestel in my parents house using my computer (a BBC micro) and a modem that was the size of a brick.... it was great! I had to dial manually with the phone, then when I heard the whistle of the modem at the other end, connect my modem.
Until the phone bill came in, lol. I think I spent about 6 months paying it off and was banned from using it again. Bloody parents!
Great! I used Prestel from my Atari ST; never had to pay for a page; launched with great expectations but info providers were dreadful at updating (eg train times didn't change with the season); what was successful was the chatlines/messaging. Check out Minitel in France for the successful case.
I love how they gave all the account details out.
wisteela 1 year ago
Note the cost per page at the top right hand corner.
stevebasset 2 years ago
I think this electronic message thing is really going to catch on!
hagiadzo 2 years ago 6
@hagiadzo Nah! fax machines are the way of the future. 'people still prefer to read things on paper' BBC computer program , 1982.
ogicabp4u 1 year ago
@hagiadzo
Dont be silly! it'll all fizzle out in the 90's
snorkschedule 1 year ago
icl me29, was the first machine I operated on the company I worked on only keep it for another 2 weeks after I started b4 they upgraded to a 3980, and the me29 was sent to India, happy days.
yakacm 2 years ago
Prestel = Big in France... then so is nuclear power... darn, they're 80% eco friendly already... bloody frogs and their technology
agghtee 2 years ago
ah, so thats why they have radioactive food and shrunken genetalia...
JonnyInfinite 2 years ago
@agghtee Yes but in France TeleTel was free and installed in everyone's homes. Pity they couldn't have done that here with Prestel, it might not have died so early.
KateFan 1 year ago
1200bps down, 75bps up. Asymmetric comms at its best :)
ianchard 2 years ago
OMG! Email!
s00zster 2 years ago
@s00zster Indeed, but it probably would have been quicker to send the reicipitent a letter throught the post back then!
mistofoles 1 year ago
I still have some Viewdata stuff. I see that's a Tandata terminal. I've got a brown, more modern one of them with printer in my parents' loft.
wisteela 3 years ago
Who remembers Televox (1989 - 1992)? Used to occupy the 700 - 799 magazine on ITV's teletext area.
tsangari 3 years ago
WTF? Is that Jeremy Clarkson??
mistofoles 3 years ago
Chris Searle I think
jessisweetheart 3 years ago 2
I don't think it'll take off to be honest
calvin624 3 years ago 2
Wasn't there some problem with Prestel...something strange like Prince Philip's account being hacked in to? This lad I knew called Siraj had Prestel at his house in something like 1984. It seemed like magic at the time!
brhodes0 4 years ago
Yes, there was that, I heard something about it being done on one of the BBC shows too.
wisteela 3 years ago
I had access to Prestel in my parents house using my computer (a BBC micro) and a modem that was the size of a brick.... it was great! I had to dial manually with the phone, then when I heard the whistle of the modem at the other end, connect my modem.
Until the phone bill came in, lol. I think I spent about 6 months paying it off and was banned from using it again. Bloody parents!
KateFan 1 year ago 3
Great! I used Prestel from my Atari ST; never had to pay for a page; launched with great expectations but info providers were dreadful at updating (eg train times didn't change with the season); what was successful was the chatlines/messaging. Check out Minitel in France for the successful case.
arru23 4 years ago
I remember Prestel very well. One of the main problems was the high cost of usage - Sometimes you were charged per page!!
stevebasset 4 years ago