Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!mcnc!gatech!cuae2!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!uiucdcsb!grunwald From: grunwald@uiucdcsb.cs.uiuc.edu Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans Subject: Re: talk problems between SUN and uVAX Message-ID: <167800001@uiucdcsb> Date: Wed, 14-Jan-87 13:14:00 EST Article-I.D.: uiucdcsb.167800001 Posted: Wed Jan 14 13:14:00 1987 Date-Received: Fri, 16-Jan-87 02:02:56 EST References: <6300001@iaoobelix> Lines: 17 Nf-ID: #R:iaoobelix:6300001:uiucdcsb:167800001:000:797 Nf-From: uiucdcsb.cs.uiuc.edu!grunwald Jan 14 12:14:00 1987 The PLATO educational computer system has had a talk-like facility for many years (mid-70's?). There were two incantations: one was called term-talk, which enabled a two-line conversation at the bottom of the screen without interrupting the current program (PLATO didn't have job-control or anything concept of it). The other program was called Talk-O-Matic, and it had "channels" where up to five people could hold a conversation with people entering & leaving in the middle. You could "lock" a channel, not letting anyone else in. Since PLATO had terminals spread around the country & the world, people found it interesting to sit in a channel & just talk to whoever came along. I think you could taga channel with a ``topic'' header as well, but it's been a while since I used Talk-O-Matic.