ALEXTEL and other pre-tech toys of mine

ALEXTEL [From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]

Alex was the name of an interactive videotext information service offered by Bell Canada from 1988 to 1994.

The Alextel terminal rented to customers was a NAPLPS terminal with a standard modem for use on regular phone lines. The service could also be accessed with a personal computer with the appropriate terminal software.

Using the service could cost as much as 0.30$CAD per minute, and many users terminated their subscription upon receiving their first invoice.

The advent of the World Wide Web contributed to making this service obsolete. On 1994-04-29, Bell Canada sent a letter to its customers announcing that the service would be terminated on 1994-06-03. In that letter, Mr. T.E. Graham, then Director of Business Planning for Bell Advanced Communications, stated that "Quite simply, the ALEX network is not the right vehicle, nor the appropriate technology, at this time to deliver the information goods needed in our fast-paced society."

The Alextel terminal is reportedly usable as a dumb terminal for VT100 emulation.

Holy schmokes, I HAD one of these things (twice I'm sure!). The first time must have been 1989 or something, and the second time in 1992. I can't remember how much I paid for it on a monthly basis, but I remember talking with some Bell reps from Montreal (they were moderators for the some of the chat rooms). The chat rooms were a step up from the 'party lines' of the late eighties. My cousin and I used to go on them all the time, and met some interesting people out of them. My technology needs seem to have been met throughout my life. [UPDATE: I was saddened to learn that my cousin passed away on her birthday last September, and had missed an opportunity to visit earlier in the summer. I will always have such wonderful memories of the summers we shared. edit: July 28, 2018]

Other tech needs...

I remember using a cell phone in 1991, one of those big humongus ones, then another one - slimmer, smaller, in 1994, buying our first computer in 1995, an IBM Aptiva. That was a major purchase for the time. Hello, AOL! and an introduction to web spaces and chatrooms. Later on in the 90s introduced me to "Eurotrip.com" and travelling abroad solo... 

More another time...