videotex
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videotex,
communications service that is linked to an adapted televisiontelevision,transmission and reception of still or moving images by means of electrical signals, originally primarily by means of electromagnetic radiation using the techniques of radio, now also by fiber-optic and coaxial cables and other means.
..... Click the link for more information. receiver or a personal computerpersonal computer
(PC), small but powerful computer primarily used in an office or home without the need to be connected to a larger computer. PCs evolved after the development of the microprocessor made possible the hobby-computer movement of the late 1970s, when some computers
..... Click the link for more information. by telephone lines, cable televisioncable television,
the transmission of televised images to viewers by means of coaxial cables. Cable systems receive the television signal, which is sent out over cables to individual subscribers, by a common antenna (CATV) or satellite dish.
..... Click the link for more information. facilities, or the like, and that allows a user to retrieve and display alphanumericalphanumeric
or alphameric
, the set of letters and numbers. When used in reference to computer input and output, the set usually is expanded to include the upper- and lower-case alphabetic characters (A–Z, a–z), the numeric characters (0–9), and
..... Click the link for more information. and pictorial information at home. Originally, videotex systems were limited to menu-oriented applications, in which information is selected from hierarchically arranged menus and displayed in fixed frames, but later technologies allowed greater interactivity and scrolled the information across the viewing screen. There are two forms of videotex systems. One-way teletext systems permit the selection and display of such general information as airline schedules, traffic conditions, and traditional newspaper content. Viewdata systems are more specific and provide for two-way, or interactive, communication. Specific questions may be researched by accessing the appropriate database: e.g., bank balances can be verified and bills paid, merchandise can be ordered from retail merchants and catalogs, and travel and hotel reservations can be made.
In Japan and Europe, videotex systems became well-established and were government-operated; in North America, systems were developed by newspaper publishers (called electronic news) and banks. With the growing popularity of the personal computer, on-line database services became more significant, especially in the United States. These made the home user part of an interactive networknetwork,
in computing, two or more computers connected for the purpose of routing, managing, and storing rapidly changing data. A local area network (LAN), which is restricted by distances of up to one mile, and a metropolitan area network (MAN), which is restricted to distances
..... Click the link for more information. and provide electronic mailelectronic mail
or e-mail,
the electronic transmission of messages, letters, and documents. In its broadest sense electronic mail includes point-to-point services such as telegraph and facsimile (fax) systems.
..... Click the link for more information. and bulletin board facilities in addition to traditional videotex services. Videotex was ultimately superseded by the development of graphical web browsers and of the World Wide Web, though some services continue to be offered; InternetInternet, the,
international computer network linking together thousands of individual networks at military and government agencies, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, industrial and financial corporations of all sizes, and commercial enterprises (called gateways
..... Click the link for more information. access gave the user the means to interact with services and facilities worldwide.
Bibliography
See A. F. Alber, Videotex/Teletext: Principles and Practices (1985); P. L. Mothersole and N. W. White, Broadcast Data Systems (1990); A. F. Alber, Interactive Computer Systems: Videotex and Multimedia (1993).