Prestel
Prestel (abbrev. from press telephone), the brand name for the UK Post Office's Viewdata technology, was an interactive videotex system developed during the late 1970s and commercially launched in 1979. It achieved a maximum of 90,000 subscribers in the UK and was eventually sold by BT in 1994.
The technology was a forerunner of on-line services today. Instead of a computer, a television set hooked to a dedicated terminal was used to receive information from a remote database via a telephone line. The service offered thousands of pages ranging from consumer information to financial data but with limited graphics.
Initial development
Prestel was created based on the work of Samuel Fedida at the then Post Office Research Station in Martlesham, Suffolk. In 1978, under the management of David Wood the software was developed by a team of programmers recruited from within the Post Office Data Processing Executive. As part of the privatisation of British Telecom, the team were moved into a "Prestel Division" of BT.
Podcasts:
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by Herman Dune
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by Oxymoron
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by Gary Jules
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by Paul Heaton
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by Steel Pole Bath Tub
Bristol
by: Herman DuneOn the bus back from Bristol, we talked about death
And we talked about a friend that I'd spent some time
with
Once or twice a year
We got to your house, all cold and out of breath
Your child was asleep
We sat down and you offered us a beer
You said : "Do you know what happened today ?"
And I said : "No"
He was family to millions
All over the evening news
But I tend to keep away from the press, the TV and the
radio
I like to keep my mind clean
When I can I always choose
To focus on what's here and
Not know what the world wants me to know
You said : "Would you want some tea or another drink ?"
And I said : "No"
We'd had sun in Bristol and
Fun with friends in London
And an awesome time as usual on tops of hills
In Leeds
We listened to Fred Neil
It sounded dark with the loudness on
You whispered to me
People whisper when a baby sleeps
You said : "Will you need an extra blanket ?"