videotex n. obs. an electronic service offering people the privilege of
   paying to read the weather on their television screens instead of having
   somebody read it to them for free while they brush their teeth. the idea
   bombed everywhere it wasn't government-subsidized, because by the time
   videotex was practical the installed base of personal computers could
   hook up to timesharing services and do the things for which videotex
   might have been worthwhile better and cheaper. videotex planners badly
   overestimated both the appeal of getting information from a computer and
   the cost of local intelligence at the user's end. like the gorilla arm
   effect, this has been a cautionary tale to hackers ever since. see also
   vannevar.


see also:
gorilla arm vannevar 

videotex
     
        an obsolete electronic service offering people the privilege
        of paying to read the weather on their television screens
        instead of having somebody read it to them for free while they
        brush their teeth.  the idea bombed everywhere it wasn't
        government-subsidised, because by the time videotex was
        practical the installed base of personal computers could hook
        up to time-sharing services and do the things for which
        videotex might have been worthwhile better and cheaper.
        videotex planners badly overestimated both the appeal of
        getting information from a computer and the cost of local
        intelligence at the user's end.  like the gorilla arm
        effect, this has been a cautionary tale to hackers ever since.
        see also vannevar.
     
        jargon file
     
     
see also:
time-sharing gorilla arm vannevar jargon file