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The Epic Interactive Encyclopedia 1998
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Epic Interactive Encyclopedia, The - 1998 Edition (1998)(Epic Marketing).iso
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Viewdata
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INFOTEXT
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1992-09-01
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795b
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20 lines
A system of displaying information on a
television screen in which the information is
extracted from a computer data bank and
transmitted via the telephone lines. It is
one form of videotext. The British Post
Office (now British Telecom) developed the
world's first viewdata system, Prestel, in
1975, and similar systems are now in
widespread use in other countries. Viewdata
users have access to an almost unlimited
store of information, presented on the screen
in the form of `pages'. Prestel has hundreds
of thousands of pages available presenting
all kinds of information, from local weather
and restaurant menus to share prices and
airport timetables. Since viewdata uses
telephone lines, it can become a two-way
information system, making possible, for
example, home banking and shopping.