21 Sep
2004
21 Sep
'04
6:38 a.m.
>
> I'm still not sure what was used server-side to construct and hold
> teletext pages either (fro BBC's Ceefax or others); likely a DEC mini of
> some sort - BBC machines for page composition?
>
> cheers
>
> Jules
I saw a thing once which was apparently a Prestel/Teletext page
composer. From memory (and bear in mind I was probably about 9 or 10 at
the time) it was a 19" rack with eurocards in it, a colour monitor on
top and a very odd keyboard with lots of extra symbols engraved on the
fronts of the keys. I do remember that they did things in conjunction
with the <CTRL> key - R had a crosshatch symbol, and <CTRL-R> produced a
character grid on the screen (and made the monitor make an ear-piercing
howl!).
I wish I could remember more about it. The guy who owned it was a
friend of my late father's, who was very into amateur radio and
computers. IIRC he was called Martin Wheeler, and he moved to Australia
to farm crocodiles or something.
Gordon.