Subject: [article] France's Minitel: 20 years young

From: Brian Chase <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 10:29:51 2003

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.