eecwdc@cc.newcastle.edu.au (01/19/91)
I have seen a few places that advertise that if you have VIDEOTEX software you can access online information (such as on-line banking etc). What is VIDEOTEX software? I have seen it advertised for PCs (yuk) but I would like to know if I can use a normal terminal program such as JR-Comm, etc. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Stolen) Disclaimer: IBM??? Is that Amiga Compatible?? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Calvin Close Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science University of Newcastle, NSW, AUSTRALIA eecwdc@cc.newcastle.edu.au -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
jnmoyne@lbl.gov (Jean-Noel MOYNE) (01/23/91)
In article <1991Jan20.004806.11155@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) writes: > [Does anyone know if the French Minitel uses the VIDEOTEX standard?] > > One of the joys of having different TV standards in various parts of the > world is that you get to have different standards for everything about > TV, too. > > The result is that the North American version of VIDEOTEX is a > completely incompatible standard called NAPLPS (North American > Presentation Level Protocol Syntax, believe it or not), which does > exactly the same job. > > I can't speak for VIDEOTEX, but I have a draft of the NAPLPS standard, > and it it so intensely arcane that it is no wonder it has been widely > ignored and infrequently implemented; it is rife with ASCII code table > switching commands and similar trash. There's such a thing as being > _too_ compatible with prior work. > > [While I'm asking, does anybody know if Prodigy uses NAPLPS?] > > Kent, the man from xanth. > <xanthian@Zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> <xanthian@well.sf.ca.us> > -- > Former national graphics standards committee member. All right, let's talk about VIDEOTEX so ... As Kent said, VIDEOTEX (VTX) is a standard for doing graphics oriented applications across telephone lines. Believe it or not, but VTX is a huge success, with millions of people using VTX terminals. Because it is the standard used by the French minitel ! (for those who don't know, the minitel is a small terminal with a V.23 modem (1200/75 bauds, 7 bits), it has been used in France for the last 10 years and used to be given free to anybody that asked for one by the French PTT, there are now 5 millions of minitels in France, you use these minitels to connect to the national X.25 network using value added telephone numbers (like the 1-900 numbers here), and you can then access thousands of services). Since the French PTT are trying to export this technology, the rest of the world is now earing about VIDEOTEX. First, let me get it straight: there are allready VDTX emulators for the Amiga. Second: use them, don't try to write your own software (and I know what I'm talking about). This standard is awfull !!! It is 40 collumns based, using the 8 standard colors, with a very special char set (normal characters, with all the accents, plus one semi-graphic char set, and a second version of this graphic set). And it doesn't use any of the escape codes you'd find in VT100 for example. (if you want to know more about it, write to me). If you need, VTX emulation, you can buy very good emulation programs in France (write to me if you want adresses), the only problem is that these software do only VTX emulation, and that they are designed to work with a minitel as modem. Yes ... these programs emulate a minitel, but are designed to work if you have a minitel, and a small cable to have a link between your minitel and your computer. Weird isn't it ? Wellcome to the world of the VTX ! All that means that if you want to use these programs with a modem, you'll have to use some tricks, and you'd better have a V.23 modem. You can't understand why unless you see and use a minitel, and remember that in France, if V.23 modems are free, the state monopoly over telephone equipments makes the modems cost at least twice the price you'd pay for them in the States. There are also file-transfer protocols for the minitel (in fact for V.23 modems in 7 bits). They are as specific as VTX... Well, I hope you've understand some of this posting ((-:), and if you have any questions, feel free to send mail to jnmoyne@lbl.gov JNM -- These are my own ideas (not LBL's)