I noticed this relevant article on the BBC site this morning. Aside and this being kind of a filler story, it's good to see classic computing getting coverage in the news. -> France's Minitel: 20 years young -> -> The history of the internet is measured in dog years - -> if you've been using it for 12 months, you're an old hand; -> since the 1990s, and you're a veteran. -> -> But as far back as 1983, a band of pioneers started using -> electronic networks to communicate, share information and -> work more efficiently. -> -> No, not Silicon Valley geeks, nor US military scientists - -> but ordinary French people, long derided as the worst of -> technophobic old Europe. -> -> Minitel, France's precursor to the internet, is 20 years -> old, and rumours of its demise have repeatedly proved -> exaggerated. -> -> [...] Full article: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3012769.stm> -brian.