France Télécom is hanging up on the Minitel videotexting system, whose monitors have been a fixture in French homes, offices, and post offices since 1982. It’s a text-over-phoneline system that also replaced phone directories, displayed online news and information, and allowed electronic bill payments and other transactions (even virtual sex). Cellphone MSM texting and e-commerce on the Web now serve many of the same functions. Still, there is some mélancolie as the French say “Adieu Minitel, ami fidèle.” FT will keep Minitel service running until its 30th birthday, June 30, 2012.
More:
Minitel core services portal and Yellow Pages
“France Telecom to Shut Down a Beloved Precursor of the Web,” Davide Castelvecchi, Scientific American blog
“The French Minitel” Jack Kessler, D-Lib Magazine [1995]
Historique du teletexte en France,” France 2 via Wayback Machine
“France Télécom to Bid Adieu to Minitel.” Mac Colchester, Wall Street Journal
“La Nostalgie: Le Minitel,” William V. Madison. Billevesées
“Le Minitel disparaîtra en juin 2012 après 30 ans de services,” Christophe Carmarans, RFI
Short link: http://wp.me/p6sb6-aJ8
Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
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Tags: communications, France, France Télécom, FT, Minitel, technology, Teletel, teletex, teletext, videotexting
NotionsCapital 
July 31, 2011 at 4:11 pm
[…] Adieu Minitel, Mike Licht, Notions Capital, 2011. július 26. France’s Forerunner Of The Internet To Be […]