3 ms·

I always wonder why it didn't take off elsewhere. It was basically the 80s commercial version of a national "world wide web". We had a knockoff using the same

I always wonder why it didn't take off elsewhere. It was basically the 80s commercial version of a national "world wide web". We had a knockoff using the same tech (even the same terminals) in the Netherlands but there was a hefty service fee per minute and it was hardly used. You could use a computer too but you needed a modem with this quirky 1200/75 baud mode (1200 baud down which was bog standard, but 75 baud up which was not). My 2400 baud modem couldn't do that (it could only do 300/300, 1200/1200 and 2400/2400) so I never used it.

DocTomoe 4y ago
Many European countries had their own version of this. Germany had Bildschirmtext (aka BTX), which failed mostly because the state controlled which terminal could be used, and it was metered in minutes, which in turn were expensive. The UK had Viewdata and later Prestel.
- jaclaz 4y ago
  Yep, in Italy there was Videotel but it was rather expensive and never became popular (unlike the Minitel in France). The (then public) telephone company did at some point allow connection also from "not-official-terminals" and particularly a suitable modem for the Commodore 64 (with 1200/75 baud v.23) was available and had a certain diffusion: http://retrofficina4004.blogspot.com/2014/12/adattatore-telematico-6499.html http://retrofficina4004.blogspot.com/2014/12/adattatore-tele...
  - GekkePrutser 4y ago
    Yeah ours was also called videotel. The phone company sold the terminals in their shops but by then it was already declining even in France. And the premium call rates were too high to make it worthwhile. Also a lot of data was available on Teletext which was kinda the same idea just broadcast.
    - GekkePrutser 4y ago
      Actually no, it was "viditel"