Seriously, though, "when there's a real demand for specific functionality, it will express itself as soon as (and sometimes even before) the technology is viable." https://t.co/ju8MrPG88c
— Mark Palko (@MarkPalko1) April 21, 2024
I have a longtime fascination with technological prototypes, early attempts and failed alternatives, but I'll admit this one was new to me.
Viewtron was an online service offered by Knight-Ridder and AT&T from 1983 to 1986. Patterned after the British Post Office's Prestel system,[1] it started as a videotex service requiring users to have a special terminal, the AT&T Sceptre. As home computers became important in the marketplace, the development focus shifted to IBM, Apple, Commodore and other personal computers.[2]
Viewtron differed from contemporary services like CompuServe and The Source by emphasizing news from The Miami Herald and Associated Press and e-commerce services from JCPenney and other merchants over computer-oriented services such as file downloads or online chat. Intended to be "the McDonald's of videotex," Viewtron was specifically targeted toward users who would be apprehensive about using a computer.
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