Slashdot Mirror
Minitel Hits Twenty
An anonymous submitter writes "Minitel is now 20 years old, according to this article from BBC News: 'Calling Minitel a proto-internet may be a bit of a stretch, but it is not far off. Unlike the internet, Minitel is a closed network, based on the phone system of its owner, France Telecom. Using one of its prehistoric-seeming terminals, users can access a labyrinth of proprietary content, all of it determinedly low-graphics and designed for speed.' Slashdot has reported on Minitel before."
This is tedius news - other similar (& better, though YMMV) systems, like the UK's Prestel service were invented before this (Prestel was started 24 years ago in the 1970's).
The difference is, that unlike France's bizzare xenophonic-rooted obsession with the outdated Minitel, other large scale BBS systems have been shutdown because they have been rendered useless after the invention and subsequent uptake of the World Wide Web.
(ObNote: I used to work at Prestel On Line, the Internet provision arm of Prestel which was founded in the mid 90's).
The interface isn't simpler, the boxes are ugly and unpractical, the service costs a fortune. I can't see why the Minitel couldn't be replaced by cheap, mass produced computers connected to the internet.
Welcome to socialism!
Don't you mean Freedom Telecom?
She sat at the window watching the evening invade the avenue.