Thomson MO5 were 8-bit computers. They are remembered in France as part of Le Plan Informatique pour Tous, a State program where over 100,000 machines were distributed in French school starting in 1985. They were used to teach pupils programming (using BASIC). These machines were connected to a small server (usually a Bull Micral) and arranged in a LAN, allowing teachers to monitor the progress of the students. Thomson MO5 were seldom sold to private households, however. They could not compete with more powerful ATARI 520, AMIGA 500, or Apple computers. Nevertheless, they provided millions of youngster their first opportunity to tinker with programming and networking.
Light pen for use with the Thomson line of microcomputers (MO5, T07)
Joystick for use with the Thomson line of microcomputers (MO5, T07)
The first 110,000 terminals to roll out of the Telic Alcatel production line featured an alphabetical keyboard layout. France Telecom and Telic Alcatel were testing to see if path dependence could be beaten or if the AZERTY keyboard layout was to remain a staple of the French typing landscape. While users who had never typed on a keyboard before did as well as they would have with an AZERTY layout, users who were used to the AZERTY layout had difficulties. Path dependence was not beat, and subsequent series of terminals reverted to the AZERTY layout. Note that this series features gold-plated connections, a feature later abandoned in the interest of lowering the cost of terminals.
A set of 2 cards (50 and 120 units) advertising the Minitel 2 terminal.
This card advertised 3615 COJO92, the site for the winter Olympics held in France in 1992
This card reminded the citizenry that on October 18, 1996 at 23:00 hours, all French phone numbers would now feature a 2-digit area code in addition to the local 8-digit number. The indroduction of the 5 area codes multiplied by 5 the total of available numbers. France Telecom also produced television advertisements on this topic.
This 50-unit card advertised Sillage, a device which combines a phone and answering machine with a Minitel terminal.
This 120-unit card advertised Sillage, a device which combines a phone and answering machine with a Minitel terminal.
An ad for the Magis terminal, which included a bank card and access-control card reader. See also the access-control cards in our holdings.
In a series of humorous cards, France Telecom advertised the advanced natural language search features of its yellow pages service, "Le 11". On this card, the lady states: "On 'le 11,' I typed 'Who can organize my party?' ... well darling, 'le 11' immediately gave me the contact info of all the local catering companies. Awesome, isn't it? 'Le 11," it speaks the same language as you and I."
Telecarte Le 11 - the scooter's carburator
In a series of humorous cards, France Telecom advertised the advanced natural language search features of its yellow pages service, "Le 11". On this card, the teenager states: "On Le 11, I typed 'changing my scooter's carburetor' ... hey, can you believe it, Le 11 gave me the contact info for all the mechanics in the neighborhood. Le 11, it speaks the same language as you and I."
Telecarte Le 11 - the Chinese restaurant
In a series of humorous cards, France Telecom advertised the advanced natural language search features of its yellow pages service, "Le 11". On this card, the lady states: "On Le 11, I typed 'Chill Chinese dinner ... well, Le 11 really kicked butt: it came up with the contact info for all the Asian restaurants in the neighborhood. 'Le 11, it speaks the same language as you and I."
In a series of humorous cards, France Telecom advertised the advanced natural language search features of its yellow pages service, "Le 11". On this card, the old lady is having a hilarious time searching the yellow pages. The parrot she bought seems to be too noisy ... she will now look for a goldfish store. "I wanted company, I typed parrot. To get some quiet, how about I type goldfish?... Today, on Le 11, the yellow pages on Minitel, you can just use everyday words. For example, if you are looking for a pet store, just type parrot, or goldfish, then the name of your city. The first free minutes are free!" Note that our holdings include both a 50 unit and a 120 unit card bearing the same ad
In a series of humorous cards, France Telecom advertised the advanced natural language search features of its yellow pages service, "Le 11". On this card, the teenager states: "On Le 11, I typed 'pumping my biceps' ... Le 11 gave me the contact info for all the gyms in my city. Le 11, it speaks the same language as you and I." Notice the before and after pictures of the miniteliste, hulking up in no time thanks to the service.
This set of 3 cards only contained 5 phone units. This indicates that they were produced not for being sold, but as collectors items which France Telecom gifted to various dignitaries.
Advertisement for the Minitel site of the National Assembly. Note the higher per minute rate than average commercial service, using the 3617 access code
This card advertised the 3615 for the popular ginger ale
Don't be mistaken, this card for 3615 Hollywood did not advertise the City of Angels or a movie reservation system, but a famous french brand of chewing gums.
This card advertised the 3615 for Gites de France, a chain of hotels and short-term rental properties
This card for 3615 Ford featured the Fiesta Turbo Diesel
This card for 3615 Ford featured the rather unusual Ford Fiesta Hawaii
This series of cards advertised France Telecom's customer service number, 3614 France Telecom. Note that one of our two holdings never got the smart chip embedded in the card and presents an unusual hole.
This card advertised France Telecom's own service, 3612 Minicom, a Minitel-to-Minitel email system.
This was Julien's first telecarte, found on the ground at his junior high school in Paris, circa 1986 or 1987. As it turned out, however, all of the card's credit had already been used. Because the card bears no ad, we know it was produced between 1984 and 1986. The back indicates that this particular card was #35 of the series.
Taboo, "Crac Absolument" b/w "Complètement Dèchirée" (Just'In Distribution, Year Unknown)
A truly unusual pop single featuring two tracks by Taboo about a popular messagerie called Crac. The front of the sleeve depicts a partially nude Taboo flying over the keyboard of a Minitel terminal with the instructions "Telephone 3615 / Tapez CRAC" superimposed on the screen. The year of publication is still unknown though CRAC advertisements from late-1980s mentioned the record.
Promotional sticker for the home security service at 3614 SECURITAM
Sticker for la Fédération Nationale Aéronautique
Promotional sticker for the Fédération Nationale Aéronautique encouraging others to "become a pilot!" In the illustration, "3615 FNA" is inscribed on the wing of a prop plane. Today, the FNA is known as la Fédération française aéronautique.
Promotional sticker for 3615 ARGUS, a Minitel service attached to L'argus, a magazine about automobiles. The text refers to the used car services available online.
Promotional sticker noting a Minitel service linked to Griottines cherries, a regional specialty of the Fougerolles.
Promotional sticker for 3615 FOOTFLASH, a service for football fans.
On this promotional sticker, 3615 EVATEL invites "smart travelers" to an online service with cheap flights, travel stories, forums, games, and more.
This is a standard issue rotary phone. These would be plugged into Minitel terminals and used to dial short codes such as 11 or 3615. This particular holding was manufactured by Dunyach & Leclert in Plazolles, France, under procurement contract #66-86-089 of November 18, 1966. It features the usual stamp "Propriete de l'Etat" (property of the State).
Simon Nora and Alain Minc, The Computerization of Society (1978)
The 1978 "Nora-Minc report" to the French President of the Republic, named "The Computerization of Society," was a landmark document that helped define French telecommunications policy, and was the precusor to the introduction of Minitel in the eighties. This English edition was published in 1980 by The MIT Press with an introduction by Daniel Bell.
This serial cable features a standard DB25 connector on one end and the 9-pin DIN connector on the other. It was bundled with a kit that included software for connecting an Amstrad PC to a Minitel terminal.
'3618 Minitel a Minitel' was a real-time one-on-one chat room operated by France Telecom. Last visited June 2011.
Pornography has historically been a driver of new communication technologies. Minitel was no exception. As of December 2011, the popular 'pink Minitel' site '3615 ULLA' was still drawing significant crowds to chat rooms. Below is one of 15 pages listing online users.
'3615 TELNET' was an email system that also enabled one to send text messages to cell phones from a Minitel terminal. Last visited June 2011.
This is a photo of a 3615 portal from June 2011. This is the point at which you might enter a short code such as PLNUIT or ULLA to access a 3615 service. If you look closely, you will see that the portal also offers a searchable directory and prepared information such as a cinema showtimes.
As of June, 2011, the Minitel site of Bordeaux University's communication school was "temporarily unavailable."
The Minitel site of the roads & bridges government agency was also "temporarily unavailable" as of June of 2011
Pierrick Bourgault, Minitel et Micro-Ordinateur (1985)
This how-to book was aimed at tech-savvy microcomputer owners. It offered information about using Minitel terminals as modems and running DIY Minitel services out of the home. Published in 1985 by SYBEX.
This Minitel 2 terminal was manufactured by Philips for the US market.
The "Pathfinder" patch on this yellow hat refers to trial of Canada's Telidon videotex system that ran from 1982-1983 in the province of Saskatchewan.
Thermal printer connects to the serial port on a standard Minitel. Note that the industrial design of the printer is meant to match the typical coloring of the Minitel 1 and 1B terminals.
Noe Willer, "...Sur Minitel" (Atoll Music, 1986)
Noe Willer "...Sur Minitel" A: ...Sur Minitel 5.12 (N. Willer/ N. Willer-M. Devaux) D.R. Production: Nelly Seberg - King Kong Music Programme Synthe: M. Devaux Arrangements: N. Willer B: Hollywood* 3.45 (N. Willer) D. R. Production: Nelly Seberg - King Kong Music Programme Synthe: M. Devaux Arrangements: N. Willer Enregistr� en concert avec ses amis: Basse: Carl Batterie: Jacky Synth�: Doum� Piano + Synth�: Manu Production: Nelly Seberg-King Kong Music Programme Synthe: M. Devaux Arrangements: N. Willer Photo: X. (P) et (c) 1986 ATOLL MUSIC / CBS and (logo) Are Reg. Trademarks of CBS Inc. Made in Holland / Distribu� en France par CBS Disques
Most of the macro photography in the archive was created using this DIY lightbox.
"Minitel Follies" was published in Gay Comix issue 12 for Spring/Summer 1988. The six page comic follows the (mis)adventures of Fox as he looks for love on the Minitel. In the opening panels, Fox picks up a terminal from the local post office and rushes home to set it up and type "3...6...1...5..." "Minitel Follies" is also notable in the histories of furry fandom and underground comix. Special thanks to Alexander Rudenshiold for locating, scanning, and sharing "Minitel Follies" and to Christopher Polt for posting images of the comic online.
Gay Comix, no. 12, Spring/Summer, 1988, pp.
Leather case designed to hold a Minitel terminal. We found this item on ebay and had never seen one before. We believe this is a tailor-made, one of a kind item, possibly made for a traveling salesman. It fits a Minitel 1, 1B, and our American Minitel which is based on the 1B. If you have any information about this item, please contact us.
Minitel 1 bi standard: Notice à usage professionnel
Documentation for the Minitel 1b terminal equipment produced by Telic in 1986. The Minitel 1b, also known as the "bi standard" Minitel 1, supported two modes: videotex and telematic. The videotex mode was used to access serivces on the Télétel platform. The telematic mode provided compatibility with standard ASCII interfaces such as a BBS or time-sharing service. This brochure provides a quick reference for various scenarios including basic set-up, common keyboard commands, and how to connect a PC, modem, or printer.
Minitel 1 terminal manufactured by Telic Alcatel.
Miguel Mennig, L'Indispensable pour Minitel (1987)
Miguel Mennig's L'Indispensable pour Minitel (1987) is a guide to the world of Minitel with material aimed at both the casual and hardcore miniteliste. In addition to a directory of services and peripheral buyer's guide, Mennig's book features instructions for connecting a PC to Minitel and building one's own micro-server.
This Minitel 5 terminal by Matracom was designed for portability. It features a monochrome LCD on a hinge. The ports on the rear of the device include a second telephone jack for use with a carphone.
Marie-Paule Belle, "Mini-Minitel" (Carrere, 1987)
Marie-Paule Belle "Mini-Minitel" Roméo Production Carrere A: Mini-Minitel 2'58 (Françoise Maillet-Joris/Marie-Paule Belle) Arr: Serge Perathoner B: Chez Pivot * Paroles: Françoise Mallet-Joris ** Musiques: Marie-Paule Belle Arrangements: Serge Perathoner Claviers: Serge Perathoner Basse: Jannick Top Guitares: Christian Leroux Prise de son: Vincent Chambraud * Studio: RRR Productions * Prise de son: Serge Perathoner ** Studio: E.G.P. ** Gravure: Translab Marie-Paule Belle est habillée par Anne-Marie Beretta, coiffée par Léonard pour Lucie Saint Clair Maquillage professionnel Visiora de Christian Dior Photo: Alain Marouani Maquette: Claude Caudron Le Amis De Marie-Paule Belle 5, Avenue Adolphe Max 69005 Lyon Watch video on YouTube.
Marie Marchand, The Minitel Saga: A French Success Story (1988)
The Minitel Saga by Marie Marchand is one of the few books about Minitel published in English. In 2016, Lori Emerson, founding director of the Media Archaeology Lab, scanned and shared a copy of this hard-to-find book. For more information, see: Minitel, 1976-2012 // an other network.
Man & Woman, "Sex on the Minitel" (2001)
This twelve-inch single features two high energy house songs cut at 45 RPM. Side A: "Sex on the Minitel" Side B: "Man & Minitel" The record is packaged in a clear plastic sleeve with a small sticker. The only liner notes are the artist's name and a link to www.manandwomanmusic.co.uk Man & Woman Music, 2001
This smart card was preprogrammed for use with Magis Minitel terminals. The packaging promises to make Minitel even easier to use.
This smart card is preprogrammed for use with an advanced Minitel terminal. It promises easy access to a variety of services. The back of the card invites users to update its features by connecting to 3623 MAGIS.
This is a Minitel terminal by Magis. It features a chip-card (also known as a "smart card") reader. The chip-card reader enabled a number of applications, from online payments using your regular bank card, to sophisticated professional banking applications. Since the 1980s, all French bank cards have included a smart chip.
Listel: Repertoire des Services Teletel No. 5 (Janvier 1987)
Listel was a guidebook for Minitel services produced by a third party. It includes a much larger and broader range of services than the official directory published by France Telecom. The cover boasts 2,335 services.
Liaison, "Minitel... Miniquoi?" (France Kangourou, 1987)
Liaison (Kernoa/Jean S. Berger) "Minitel... Miniquoi?" A: Minitel - Miniquoi 6'24 (Version Remix - Sp�cial Club) B1: Minitel - Miniquoi 3'57 B2: Minitel (Version DJ) 1'29 B3: Minitel - Miniquoi (instrumental) 3'58 Arrangements: C. DI PIETRA R�alisation Studio Musical-Force (France) Club FAN Musical Force t�l. (1) 48.29.36.39 Editions d�pos�es : SACEM - FRANCE KANGOUROU (c) 1987 Producers Associ�s Merci � toute l'�quipe. H. La BUTHIE, Florence, J. SAUVAGE. Distribution Quiquine
Le Guide du Minitel No. 3 (Fevrier 1988)
Another third party guidebook for Minitel. This edition of the "Le Guide" promises 4,500 services.
Sticker promoting Minitel services for privately-owned television networks La Cinq ("5") and M6. Based on the logos, this sticker was likely produced around 1987.
Kit de Telechargement pour Amstrad CPC (AZURSOFT, 1988)
This is a "download kit" for owners of the Amstrad CPC home computer, published in 1988 by AZURSOFT. The kit includes a diskette with terminal and file-transfer software as well as a serial cable for connecting the Amstrad PC and Minitel terminal.
Julien Mailland and Kevin Driscoll, Minitel: Welcome to the Internet (2017)
Minitel: Welcome to the Internet grew out of this very lab. It was published in 2017 by The MIT Press as a part of the Platform Studies series. For more information, click on "About our book" at the left.
Found this beauty at the W6TRW Amateur Radio Club Swap Meet on the Nothrop Grumman parking lot in El Segundo, CA. Not Minitel related, but so nice we couldn't pass on it.
Godefroy Troude, sysop, «Pinky» Minitel micro-serveur, 1986-1992
Godefroy Troude was the sysop of a Minitel micro-serveur called "Pinky" from 1986 to 1992. He shared with us two stories from his memories of that time: meeting a surprise user from Los Angeles online and listening to the sounds of data through his telephone. Read more about Pinky here: http://troude.com/Pinky/
France Telecom, Envoi: Les Pages Minitel (1994)
One of the original overt motivations behind the Minitel project was to digitize the phone book and save money on paper, printing, and distribution costs. Ironically, Minitel became so popular that France Telecom started printing a paper-based Minitel directory.
"I'm connected on Minitel, how about you? No... Well then go pick one up at your local France Telecom branch"
The 1991 France Telecom Price list, including Minitel's access and per-minute prices. Connecting to the online phone book for 3 minutes was free (for multiple searches, one would just disconnect and reconnect every 3 minutes to avoid being charged), but the popular "3615" services, including the "pink-Minitel" chat rooms cost from 0.874 to 1.25 FF per minute -- (0.3 to 0.19 EUR per minute). Minitel was expensive!
A 1991 letter from France Telecom to its clients lauding the French telecommunications system as one of the most modern in the world. Indeed, "[i]n 1989, Minitel made France the world's most 'wired' country" - (James Gillies & Robert Cailliau, How the Web Was Born, 2000)
This pin was produced by France Telecom to celebrate the production of the 5,000,000th Minitel terminal.
Envoi: L'Annuaire des Services Minitel (France Telecom, 1993)
This Minitel guidebook was published in 1993 by France Telecom. The preamble includes a short insert consisting of 16 full-color, glossy pages with technical details about various terminals, the schedule of fees, how-to information for beginners, and details on the Minicom messaging service. The remaining 278 pages, printed in grayscale on newsprint, list services by category and short code. Each service is given a very brief description, no more than a few words. The index lists approximately 700 services.
Special Agent Dale Cooper likes to hang out around Minitels being hacked.
Christian Tavernier, Les Secrets du Minitel (1985)
Les Secrets du Minitel is another trade book aimed at the Minitel enthusiast. Editions Techniques et Scientifiques Françaises published the first edition in 1985 and a second edition in 1988.
Documentation from a Minitel hackathon, July 28, 2011
This laptop Apple Newton features a slick handle for portability
This is a hybrid terminal designed to access both the Minitel (Teletel) network and the Internet. This model is equipped with a pointing stick, but others used a trackpad. The web browser it used was HotJava, developed by JavaSoft (part of Sun Microsystems) in Cupertino. While this model is a production model, it was never widely commercialized. The terminal was set to use Wanadoo as its ISP. Wanadoo was the ISP brand for France Telecom, the sole Minitel access provider. The telecom regulator (ARCEP) blocked the distribution of these terminals based on concerns that Wanadoo would capture Minitel clients and gain an unfair advantage over independent ISPs.
This Alcatel M1B/US (branded as "Alcatel V2000") was manufactured in 1990 by Telic Alcatel for US Friden. This particular machine is #47 in the series. It was part of a batch shipped to San Francisco as part of a venture called "101 Online." The community manager for the project, John Coate (formerly from The Well) took these terminals to rave parties for ravers to chat. The history of 101 Online was documented in an article published with the IEEE Annals of the History of Computing.
This slick-looking mini-Minitel features a tiny screen and a phone combo. Built in 1995.
Don't be fooled by the small size of this slick designed Minitel terminal. Among other things, it included a powerful address book. The lead engineer on the France Telecom side was Bernard Louvel, who was on the original team led by Jean-Paul Maury.
Most Minitel terminals were single units where the keyboard was attached to the screen. Minitel 12 terminals departed from this tradition. The handset rested atop the keyboard and connected through a wire to a separate CRT unit.
This terminal is an Alcatel 1B re-purposed for the Italian market. It was distributed by SIP (Società Italiana per l'Esercizio Telefonico), the Italian monopoly telephone company
This is a magazine ad for PIFTEL, the Minitel site of PIF, a weekly comic magazine for children published by the French Communist Party. At its peak, PIF printed up to 1 million copies. This ad presents PIFTEL as an online companion to the printed magazine. With Minitel, the French print industry was one step ahead of the rest of the world, experimenting with online business models for publishing as early as the 1980s.
Terminals chilling together at Julien's Los Angeles home
This pin celebrates the 3615 network and bears an appropriate pink color.
An ad for the Minitel site of Naf Naf, a clothing company.
This is a promotional sticker for 3615 FFT, a service run by the French tennis federation.
3614 Gestcomptes 2 is a telebanking kit for owners of Atari ST computers published by LOG-ACCESS. The kit includes a diskette with software to run on the PC and a serial cable for connecting to a Minitel terminal. There were advantages to this design for both users and service providers. On one hand, the serial cable allowed home computer owners to use their free Minitel in lieu of an expensive PC modem. On the other hand, service providers enjoyed an on-going stream of revenue from the 3614 connection fees.
Not all Minitel was pink. The keychain below advertises the site of a butane-propane distributor.
This is a trading card with general information about the origins of Minitel published in 1989. The photo on the front of the card depicts a typical installation of Minitel terminal equipment in the home. While a PC might be stored in a home office or on a student's desk, the Minitel terminal is placed on an end table alongside the standard telephone.