I noticed this relevant article on the BBC site this morning. Aside
from a one or two inaccuracies (i.e. Minitel preceding the Internet),
and this being kind of a filler story, it's good to see classic
computing getting coverage in the news.
-> France's Minitel: 20 years young
->
-> The history of the internet is measured in dog years -
-> if you've been using it for 12 months, you're an old hand;
-> since the 1990s, and you're a veteran.
->
-> But as far back as 1983, a band of pioneers started using
-> electronic networks to communicate, share information and
-> work more efficiently.
->
-> No, not Silicon Valley geeks, nor US military scientists -
-> but ordinary French people, long derided as the worst of
-> technophobic old Europe.
->
-> Minitel, France's precursor to the internet, is 20 years
-> old, and rumours of its demise have repeatedly proved
-> exaggerated.
->
-> [...]
Full article: <
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3012769.stm>
-brian.
Received on Wed May 14 2003 - 11:03:00 BST