Re: Documentation for the AT&T Sceptre Videotex terminal (Richard)
Wow, those photos bring back memories!
I was just thinking about those: a friend had one and
google didn't help me. ebay lists Sceptre flat monitors
(totally unrelated but a source for confusion).
I have something similar: I think it's Zenith.
A thick keyboard with the terminal inside the keyboard,
it attaches to tv-as-monitor, phone line (internal modem).
My Olivetti PR2300 spark-jet printer has line-drawing characters
that I don't recognize. Was that intended for teletext/videotext?
Yes, I bought it from the DAK catalog after reading the glowing ad
how it was a wonderful printer for the low low price.
Nowhere did it mention it was a ONE PIN DOT MATRIX PRINTER!
It made the dots by creating sparks (ozone!)
that fused the powder to form ONE DOT on the paper.
Somewhere I have some floppy disks with teletext/videotext software
so one could use a PC instead of a dedicated terminal.
I remember the computer show around 1990 when several companies
/truly believed that Videotex would be the future in the USA/
so they were trying to get customers and data-suppliers/stores online.
Also being tried at that time: phones with built-in teeny terminals
for folks who didn't want the cost or responsibility of a PC.
Geez, those were re-invented how many times:
as the CIDCO email only terminal,
thin clients, Network appliances (I-opener), ...