I picked up something rather interesting today...

[coius]

Not sure how much use it is, but I would LOVE to hack it and turn it into a regular terminal for Linux or something. This is a picture of it

Anyone got some info on these as how to hack it? I saw someone got one to connect to a linux box, but i would need to figure out how to simulate a Telephone Line to do it (110v, American). Does anyone know how to simulate a line/Ring with power?

T'would be rather interesting to see if I can do it...

EDIT: forgot to mention this, While i was at the White elephant sale where I got this, I also picked up the PC MYST I CD, and I also picked up an IBM PS/2 "Clicky-Keys" keyboard. Still gotta test the others out

 

[coius]

This is a semi-good show of the Terminal text:

Philips Minitel 2 Console

 

[gobabushka]

I remember a hackaday article about building a device to supply line power over a phone line. then all u need to do is establish a ppp connection

 

[heebiejeebies]

What in the bleedin' heck is that? Looks like something out of Lost in Space! Danger, coius! Danger! Warning!

 

[II2II]

I did a Google search for Minitel. If sounds like that's a terminal for an online service that was offered through some telephone companies. It used a different protocol for the modem (hardware level is v.23) and it used a different protocol at the software level (X.25). So I'm guessing that the chances of your using it as a terminal for your Linux box is about nil. But if you do get it working, at least there's a termcap entry for it.

(NOTE: I'm making a lot of assumptions here. It's generally useful if people list the make and model of something as well as what ports appear to be available.)

 

[Dog Cow]

Minitel is a French online service which predates the WWW. I believe it can only be accessed in France.

 

[II2II]

Minitel was available elsewhere, either as a lasting service or as a trial service.

It was kinda fun reading the Wikipedia article about it, because it offered some insight as to why English and German appeared to be dominant languages on the 'net in the early days, while French was not.

 

[Bunsen]

Didn't the French telco distribute them for free as online directories, once they realised it was cheaper than printing new phone books every year?

 

[Christopher]

Didn't the French telco distribute them for free as online directories, once they realised it was cheaper than printing new phone books every year?

A computer, cheaper then printing? I don't believe it. :O

 

[II2II]

Well, printing can be quite expensive. Distributing new directories can be quite expensive. Either trashing or recycling old directories can be expensive. Compare that with a low end terminal that will last several years (instead of one year) and yeah, it may end up cheaper.

But this appeared to be much more than a directory. It offered many online services, services for which a fee could be collected. That is only marginally possible with a dead tree. (I seem to remember the front part of the directory containing dial-in information services in the early part of the decade. I never tried them, so I don't know what it was like, but it sounds analagous. You're just listening rather than reading.)

 

[techfury90]

The other thing is that replacing phonebooks with Minitels is cheaper in the long run. Definitely not in the short run, but most likely in the long run. You'd only have to distribute the Minitels once instead of the phonebooks every year.

 

[Bunsen]

It's not a computer, it's a dumb terminal. And a phone book for a city the size of Paris is no small job.

 

[Mike Richardson]

Southwestern Bell had a similar service here in Houston. I have a neat old commercial that I captured off a VHS tape from the 80s. I'll have to upload some time.

 

[II2II]

@Mike: Did it use special terminals, or was it something that you accessed via a communications program on a computer.

@Bunsen: Well, most terminals (all?) did include a microprocessor, RAM, and ROM. It's just the firmware was very, erm, firm about what it could do. I wonder if it would be possible to replace the ROMs on those things so that they could complete other functions.