minitel

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

I found myself thinking about minitel recently. Back in the late 80s, when I spent lots of time in France, every ad seemed to carry a 36-15 address. I never had the chance to use the system, sadly, but it seemed to be some kind of precursor to the internet. Have you ever used it? Is it still going or has it been totally superseded by the internet? Are there minitel collectors who dig its (relatively) analogue charms? Particularly interested to hear from les ILXeurs francais on the subject.

― Daniel (dancity), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 21:58 (twenty-two years ago)

I had one in my old apt in Paris. It was occasionally quite useful!

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 22:00 (twenty-two years ago)

If it is gone, it is only recently. The last time I read about it, it was still quicker to check train times and book a ticket on minitel than it was on the web.

Whither Prestel?

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 22:19 (twenty-two years ago)

I think that you can use minitel over the internet now for legacy stuff. I remember that one of my french lessons was all about Minitel.

― Lil' Won Jilliams (ex machina), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 22:21 (twenty-two years ago)

France's Minitel Lives On

― dean! raggett (deangulberry), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 22:23 (twenty-two years ago)

minitel is cool!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 00:34 (twenty-two years ago)

It is remarkable that it's been going for twenty years. What does the screen look like? Is it just text - like, say, teletext - or can you see images as well? One of my abiding memories of my time in France was pictures on every bus and metro of French lovelies, with the words '36-15 sylvie' or whatever. And of course there was football and train times etc, but to the casual onlooker (who didn't have the service) minitel was about just soft porn!

― Daniel (dancity), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 05:34 (twenty-two years ago)

This thread wanted me to call my two person noise band "MINITEL" but it sounds too much like "INTERPOL".

― Lil' Won Jilliams (ex machina), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 05:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Minitel is a lovely word to pronounce in Frnech with its soft t an l sounds

― Japanese Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 07:24 (twenty-two years ago)

My French colleague says that her family have long since ditched Minitel, but that she used to use it only for the phone book. Apparently it was especially useful if you wanted to look someone up from another town.

― Japanese Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Friday, 2 April 2004 11:24 (twenty-two years ago)

It was very useful as an excuse - whenever my web data at work had some huge French anomaly I would say "oh thats probably Minitel."

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Friday, 2 April 2004 11:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Giraffe's friend OTM. Most people used it exclusively for the phone book. Also, you have to remember that France Telecom gave every household a minitel for FREE. Very convenient for bookings and chats too.
Daniel, graphics wise it was exactly like teletext. The object itself was pretty cool though..

― Baaderoni (Fabfunk), Friday, 2 April 2004 12:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Here's the web emulator: http://www.minitel.fr
It seems that you can still get them from France Telecom.

― Baaderoni (Fabfunk), Friday, 2 April 2004 12:05 (twenty-two years ago)

This one is pretty old school: http://www.agence.francetelecom.com/racine_boutique/fp/photos/minitel2_boitdiag.gif

― Baaderoni (Fabfunk), Friday, 2 April 2004 12:07 (twenty-two years ago)

There's a minitel a few feet away from me as I type. I think the secretary in this office still uses it occasionally.

― Jonathan Z. (Joanthan Z.), Friday, 2 April 2004 12:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Thanks everyone. The minitel website doesn't seem to offer anything you can't find on any other internet site. Almost as superfluous as http://www.teletext.co.uk/start/default.asp

The real charm is in the machine itself - thanks for the pic baaderoni.

What I couldn't get over in France was that these things sat next to really old-fashioned telephones, with that 'sidecar' earpiece. Nice!

― Daniel (dancity), Friday, 2 April 2004 16:39 (twenty-two years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.