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[OP here] Amusingly, I learned about Minitel just a few hours ago when I stumbled upon this video from John Stossel's show (obligatory thanks to YouTube algori

[OP here] Amusingly, I learned about Minitel just a few hours ago when I stumbled upon this video from John Stossel's show (obligatory thanks to YouTube algorithm) where he mentions Minitel as an exhibit of government/public sector's failure to innovate and a way for the French government to 'control the growth' of this new technology before private players. Here's the video (with the exact time stamp) where Mr. Stossel talks about Minitel -- https://youtu.be/rOkkqoDJl-s?t=208 https://youtu.be/rOkkqoDJl-s?t=208 I then searched the web (through Google) for information on Minitel and this IEEE article showed up.

kergonath 6y ago
The Minitel wasn’t the Internet, though, and was in its time quite innovative. There are much better examples of strategic errors from various governments (and private companies as well, but it does not fit the same agenda). [edit] in any case, thanks for the link. That was an interesting read.
justin66 6y ago
> John Stossel's show (obligatory thanks to YouTube algorithm) where he mentions Minitel as an exhibit of government/public sector's failure to innovate and a way for the French government to 'control the growth' of this new technology before private players. I wonder what he thinks ARPANET is an example of. (I don't)
- hylaride 6y ago
  I don't call myself a libertarian, but I am sympathetic to a lot of their arguments. Stossel comes across as a whiny spoiled brat who can't handle being told 'no' to doing things like lighting up a cigarette in a public school, because it's bad enough that it's a public school but I can't smoke either? The selective arguments he makes can usually be picked apart very easily, too.
masswerk 6y ago
I don't consent with the gist of that show. Rather, I think, the Minitel approach was much like todays app stores: still allowing for private entrepreneurs and innovation, but with a regulating entity, which is also claiming ownership of the transactions, on top of it.

kergonath 6y ago

The Minitel wasn’t the Internet, though, and was in its time quite innovative. There are much better examples of strategic errors from various governments (and private companies as well, but it does not fit the same agenda). [edit] in any case, thanks for the link. That was an interesting read.

justin66 6y ago

> John Stossel's show (obligatory thanks to YouTube algorithm) where he mentions Minitel as an exhibit of government/public sector's failure to innovate and a way for the French government to 'control the growth' of this new technology before private players. I wonder what he thinks ARPANET is an example of. (I don't)

hylaride 6y ago
I don't call myself a libertarian, but I am sympathetic to a lot of their arguments. Stossel comes across as a whiny spoiled brat who can't handle being told 'no' to doing things like lighting up a cigarette in a public school, because it's bad enough that it's a public school but I can't smoke either? The selective arguments he makes can usually be picked apart very easily, too.

masswerk 6y ago

I don't consent with the gist of that show. Rather, I think, the Minitel approach was much like todays app stores: still allowing for private entrepreneurs and innovation, but with a regulating entity, which is also claiming ownership of the transactions, on top of it.