Talk:Minitel

Minitel
Hi. There is a good picture of the first Minitel terminal on this page, but wouldn't it be great if there was successive models shown? How about some screenshots of various services?

SAPETIFONFAPAPA — Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.41.198.182 (talk) 13:53, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

I don't think they're was several models, they all looked the same. We kept the same for years, it was very strong.

Edit: the models, here: https://www.google.fr/search?q=minitel+models&num=50&newwindow=1&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwihmK-ti4DYAhWE16QKHW-4CEwQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=613

The only one I saw is this one, the classical one: https://chapelierfou.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/minitel1-1024x769.jpg

MINITEL.FR
Clicking on the UK Minitel link in External links, I found this editorial:

The MINITEL.FR service will close by the end of 2006.
Our customers owning a loaded account will be able to use it to connect to Minitel services until December 31st 2006, when the service will end for good.

Is this true?

Evidently not--I used it today! 86.72.133.206 20:20, 27 June 2007 (UTC)


 * The Orange Minitel internet gateway was discontinued, but not Minitel itself. An internet gateway remains here, although I believe it is only available to France Telecom subscribers. -Ashley Pomeroy (talk) 15:34, 18 November 2007 (UTC)


 * Now it is dicontinued, since 2012. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.250.164.254 (talk) 18:30, 10 December 2017 (UTC)

Server Side?
What type of technology is used server side? What OS (Unix, VMS, etc.)? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.118.72.85 (talk) 19:29, 31 December 2006 (UTC).


 * Here's one:  68.113.47.180 19:09, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

Used in French Territories?
Was the Minitel deployed in the French territories? 71.93.238.212 21:35, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

Yes, France Télécom was everywhere in the French soil. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.250.164.254 (talk) 18:49, 10 December 2017 (UTC)

Minitel deployment in the United States
France Telecom deployed Minitel in the United States. Dial-up ports were available in most major U.S. cities. This was separate from the US West and "101 Online" US services; it was actual French Minitel, interconnected with the system in France. I once had an account on it, and could chat with people in France. Does anyone have further data? --John Nagle (talk) 17:06, 12 June 2009 (UTC)

No further data but I knew someone who had a Minitel in Canada... don't know if they were connecting to a US # or how it was setup.

BlueLeather (talk) 11:15, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Minitel in other countries
It seems confusing that the list includes both Minitel and systems that are deemed to be “like” Minitel in the one list - many things are like other things, but completely different nonetheless. Windows and Mac OS are both graphical user interface computer operating systems, but you wouldn’t put one in a list of deployments of the other. Minitel is Minitel, Prestel is Prestel: Prestel isn’t a variety, implementation or incidence of Minitel, it was merely a different thing with a similar purpose. As Minitel is a specific technology, surely it isn’t appropriate in a discussion of that tech to just lump it with other similar technologies? Jock123 (talk) 13:11, 9 September 2010 (UTC)

The line about Belgium is pure phantasy in my eyses. No wonder there are no references added.


 * No, it was true. It was in Belgium too, and it wasn't a "minitel-like". Look at this photo, if it's not a Minitel.

https://www.rtbf.be/info/societe/detail_minitel-on-coupe-tout-a-23h59?id=7797139 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.250.164.254 (talk) 18:52, 10 December 2017 (UTC)

Minitel shutting down June 30, 2012
Minitel: The rise and fall of the France-wide web. BBC. 27 June 2012. From the article:


 * And so on Saturday, exactly 30 years after it was launched, the Minitel is bowing out. After that, the little beige box will answer no more. ...


 * Rolled out experimentally in Brittany, Minitel went national in 1982, offering the telephone directory and not much else. ...


 * "It meant that nothing new could ever happen. Basically, Minitel innovated from 1978 to 1982, and then it stopped," he says.

The article might mention that it was rolled out first in 1978 in Brittany. --Timeshifter (talk) 05:07, 28 June 2012 (UTC)


 * ✅ -Jeff Ogden (W163) (talk) 18:54, 28 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Thanks! --Timeshifter (talk) 00:36, 29 June 2012 (UTC)

Minitel in the U.S.
In the early 1980s (as a representative of the Minneapolis, MN, newspapers) involved in a Minitel project aimed at upper midwest farmers run by what-is-now US Bank. I was only involved in the pre-production phases, and I don't recall how long it lasted or how (un)successful it was.

StevePoulter (talk) 22:27, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

Minitel Rose
This article says nothing about the use of this service for phone sex, which was one of the major reasons for its popularity in France. See fr:Minitel Rose. Chubbles (talk) 19:46, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Agreed, that should be added, if that was a driving factor for the adoption of the technology. Alas, I don't know enough about it nor understand French. -- Surv1v4l1st (Talk  20:25, 14 November 2013 (UTC)

No, it wasn't a driving factor for the adoption of the minitels in the families. It's the same thing than saying people get internet for the porn sites: it's a nonsense. Every firm had its minitel site, like Internet has, and we could find infos, but it was too expensive and slow comparing to the internet we have nowadays. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.250.164.254 (talk) 18:35, 10 December 2017 (UTC)

You mean fr:Minitel rose. fr:Minitel Rose is about a musical group. J I P &#124; Talk 19:54, 30 December 2022 (UTC)


 * Minitel was useful for accessing government services. For a long time it was the only way to register for higher learning curriculum (universities etc.). The phone book and reverse phone book sites were pretty useful. There was a Minitel at home for all my childhood and early adulthood and I'm pretty sure it was never used for sex or chatting, even though the "websites" were advertised pretty extensively in cities (3615 ULLA). From what I can find chatting wasn't even a feature envisioned by its conceptors. Aesma (talk) 15:48, 26 June 2024 (UTC)

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Shutdown decision
I think the article should conclude with a paragraph or so regarding the decisions that led to shutting down Minitel, placed before the See Also section. Clearly the rise of the Internet, especially high-speed Internet was an influence, but what else went into the decision to wind things down for this service? Nutster (talk) 16:49, 7 January 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
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External links modified (February 2018)
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