From: utzoo!watmath!mwang_pay
Newsgroups: ont.events
Title: UW Inform. Sys. Seminar, Brian Botten on "Videotex-Looking for a Bus. Home"
Article-I.D.: watmath.3110
Posted: Wed Jul 28 13:44:17 1982
Received: Wed Jul 28 23:10:58 1982
Expires: Wed Aug  4 00:00:00 1982


               DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
               UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO
               SEMINAR ACTIVITIES

               INFORMATION SYSTEMS SEMINAR - Tuesday, August 3, 1982.

               Brian Botten of Extel  Computing  Ltd.,  London,  UK,
               will  speak  on  "Videotex  -  Looking for a Business
               Home."

               TIME:  3:30 PM

               ROOM:  M&C 5158

               ABSTRACT

                    Videotex systems, including Prestel and Telidon,
               were  originally  touted  for  home use, but recently
               there has been a shift in emphasis  towards  uses  in
               business.   Banking  and  electronic directories have
               been two of the more promising applications,  whereas
               education  and home entertainment still have not pro-
               ven themselves.  The real success of videotex, howev-
               er,  is  still a large question mark: after ten years
               there is still little by way of real  money  earning,
               yet now more and more businesses (including mainframe
               manufactures such as IBM and DEC)  are  entering  the
               arena.

                    The discussion will concern itself with a  brief
               review of business videotex developments.  Aspects of
               videotex will be rated with respect to their  utility
               in  business: in particular, transactional facilities
               rank high and graphics plays  a  very  limited  role.
               The  recent  introduction of videotex/videodisk links
               may prove to be a particularly useful development.

                       July 28, 1982