This is more aimed at UK people, I guess...

Back in the 80's Prestel/Micronet 800 advertised their service could
be accessed with a number of modems, the Pace Nightingate with a
cartridge, and the Commodore Modem Cartridge.

Micronet 800 and Prestel didn't use the usual terminal software that
runs 8N1 but it uses 7E1 and a specific character set. There is mention
of something like "Y2-Mustang" but I have not been able to track it
down.

Is there anyone around who accessed Prestel in the 80's with a CBM 64
that can recall the software they used and, more importantly, does
anyone have the software? It would be known as Videotex or Viewdata
software.

Thanks,
Nigel

--
End Of The Line BBS - Plano, TX
telnet endofthelinebbs.com 23

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: Agency HUB, Dunedin - New Zealand | Fido<>Usenet Gateway (3:770/3)

You may be talking about Vidotex by Handic Software AB from 1984.

This is what it looks like:

https://i.imgur.com/YJrMrDu.png

I uploaded it here. I do not know how to use it.

https://file.io/IAy9xxFLthUj

You may also be interested, if you are not already aware, in modern Videotex services with clients for modern platforms:

https://glasstty.com/?p=1

I'm from the US and this is really the first opportunity I have had to check it out since, as you indicate, this is mainly a UK thing, or, if not mainly a UK thing, not a US thing. I encourage people who have never played around with Videotex to check it out as it is trivial to install and runs right over the Internet.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/24 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Shipwrecks & Shibboleths [San Francisco, CA - USA] (1:218/860)

Hi Nigel,

On 17. Apr, 2022 at 08:20:38 CEST, "Nigel Reed" <sysop@endofthelinebbs.com> wrote:

This is more aimed at UK people, I guess...

I'm not a UK person and don't know the software you're talking about. But I'm happy to see that there is still someone around despite Robert Bernardo's postings about meetings and events. :-)

Cheers,
Paul

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: Agency HUB, Dunedin - New Zealand | Fido<>Usenet Gateway (3:770/3)

Re: Re: CBM64 Viewdata software
By: Ignacio Duarte to Nigel Reed on Mon Apr 18 2022 10:09:52

You may be talking about Vidotex by Handic Software AB from 1984.

Not heard of that during my research.

https://i.imgur.com/YJrMrDu.png

But that seems to be exactly what I am looking for.

I uploaded it here. I do not know how to use it.

Thanks. I will grab it later. I'll be running tcpser on my PC along with WinVice. This should let me direct a serial port to a the tcp/ip port that tcpser is listening on.

You can then use AT commands to dial a hostname.

atdtendofthelinebbs.com:6502

tcpser will then deal with the communications and then hand it back to WinVice.

If you're not aware, WinVice is a CBM64 emulator.

You may also be interested, if you are not already aware, in modern Videotex services with clients for modern platforms:

https://glasstty.com/?p=1

Yes, I'm familiar with that project and have been in touch with the author a few times. There's also ccl4 out of Hull which is still going but seems to require its own web based java interface to access it.

I'm from the US and this is really the first opportunity I have had to check it out since, as you indicate, this is mainly a UK thing, or, if not mainly a UK thing, not a US thing. I encourage people who have never played around with Videotex to check it out as it is trivial to install and runs right over the Internet.

I'm from the UK originally so grew up with it. I now live in the US and have added a viewdata module to my BBS. It's highly experimental at the moment and still need some work but it's slowly getting there.

Anyway, thanks for the software suggestion, I'll grab it tonight after work.

Thanks,
Nigel
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (1:124/5016)

Re: Re: CBM64 Viewdata software
By: =?UTF-8?B?UGF1bCBGw7Zyc3Rlcg==?= to All on Mon Apr 18 2022 11:22:42

I'm not a UK person and don't know the software you're talking about. But I'm happy to see that there is still someone around despite Robert Bernardo's postings about meetings and events. :-)

Well, only here for purely selfish reasons. I did own a Vic-20 recently. I wouldn't mind picking up a CBM64 though we'll have to see.

Regards
Nigel
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (1:124/5016)

Nigel Reed <sysop@endofthelinebbs.com> writes:

There is mention of something like "Y2-Mustang" but I have not been
able to track it down.

That might be Mustang 32, the C64 Micronet terminal software that came
with Modem House's Voyager 7 modems. Their ads were pretty distinctive:

https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1986-09-18/page/n7/mode/1up
https://archive.org/details/YourCommodoreIssue25Oct86/page/n24/mode/1up https://archive.org/details/Commodore_Computing_International_Vol_05_No_02_1986-09_Croftward_GB/page/n11/mode/1up

(No idea whether it survives, though...)

--
Adam Sampson <ats@offog.org> <http://offog.org/>

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: Agency HUB, Dunedin - New Zealand | Fido<>Usenet Gateway (3:770/3)

Re: Re: CBM64 Viewdata software
By: Adam Sampson to Nigel Reed on Mon Apr 18 2022 16:15:44

There is mention of something like "Y2-Mustang" but I have not been
able to track it down.

That might be Mustang 32, the C64 Micronet terminal software that came
with Modem House's Voyager 7 modems. Their ads were pretty distinctive:

Yes, that does sound like it. From the description, it was a rom cartridge so whether anyone has made an image, I have no idea. I'll have to poke around some of the CBM bulletin boards to see what I can find.

Thanks,
Nigel
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (1:124/5016)

Re: Re: CBM64 Viewdata software
By: Ignacio Duarte to Nigel Reed on Mon Apr 18 2022 10:09:52

I uploaded it here. I do not know how to use it.

https://file.io/IAy9xxFLthUj

I just went to download and got a notice that it has already been deleted :( --- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (1:124/5016)

Try this link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OxG0luvZCT1FM03gZOFOXYP3IX84FR3n/view?usp=sha ring

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/24 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Shipwrecks & Shibboleths [San Francisco, CA - USA] (1:218/860)

On Mon, 18 Apr 2022 20:34:03 +1200 nospam.Ignacio.Duarte@f860.n218.z1.fidonet.org (Ignacio Duarte) wrote:

Try this link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OxG0luvZCT1FM03gZOFOXYP3IX84FR3n/view?usp=sha
ring

OK I have it, but I see what you mean about not knowing what to do with
it. I don't seem to be able to get it connect to the serial port. Most
odd.

--
End Of The Line BBS - Plano, TX
telnet endofthelinebbs.com 23

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: Agency HUB, Dunedin - New Zealand | Fido<>Usenet Gateway (3:770/3)

On Mon, 18 Apr 2022 18:08:54 -0500, Nigel Reed wrote:

On Mon, 18 Apr 2022 20:34:03 +1200 nospam.Ignacio.Duarte@f860.n218.z1.fidonet.org (Ignacio Duarte) wrote:

Try this link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OxG0luvZCT1FM03gZOFOXYP3IX84FR3n/view?usp=sha
ring

OK I have it, but I see what you mean about not knowing what to do with
it. I don't seem to be able to get it connect to the serial port. Most
odd.

Started it in VICE, but have no idea what to do. Pressing almost key key results in a number counting up or down. I took a screenshot though, but
others here already did, so I don't put it online (unless someone wants me
to).
--
Andreas

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: Agency HUB, Dunedin - New Zealand | Fido<>Usenet Gateway (3:770/3)

On Mon, 18 Apr 2022 10:38:06 +1200, Nigel Reed wrote:

If you're not aware, WinVice is a CBM64 emulator.

It's called VICE and happens to *also* be available for Windows as
WinVice (like WinUAE as Amiga for Windows). I use VICE as well as UAE in
Linux.
--
Andreas

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: Agency HUB, Dunedin - New Zealand | Fido<>Usenet Gateway (3:770/3)

Re: Re: CBM64 Viewdata software
By: Andreas Kohlbach to Nigel Reed on Mon Apr 18 2022 20:37:55

Started it in VICE, but have no idea what to do. Pressing almost key key results in a number counting up or down. I took a screenshot though, but others here already did, so I don't put it online (unless someone wants me to).

Yes, I had the same experience. The F keys seem to do something. I wonder if there's a C= key combo. Though I have no idea how to do that in my version yet, I've tried a things like SHIFT+CTRL+C F1 then C F9 then C and a few other combinations.
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (1:124/5016)

So, for those following along. I couldn't get anywhere with the Handic
Software Videotex cartridge. The C= did a few things with various keys
but nothing I could actually define.

The enter/return key sent # which is expected and CTRL-M seemed to send
a linefeed, but I couldn't see it connecting to tcpser at all. I've
spent a couple of hours trying to find a manual online but nothing.



Then I came across this gem

https://archive.org/details/GatewayVideotexVTX64SoftwareForUseWithCommodore641985

I downloaded the "ISO Image" which is a .d64 disk image, however it
seems corrupt as I load the program

LOAD"VTX64",8

then when I run it, I get a syntax error in line 42394

When I LIST it looks corrupt. 42394 is SQRGOSUB followed by line 169
then 47648.

I don't seem to be able to find another image anywhere.

So...stuck again :(
--
End Of The Line BBS - Plano, TX
telnet endofthelinebbs.com 23
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (1:124/5016)

On Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at 2:20:30 PM UTC-4, Nigel Reed wrote:

I don't seem to be able to find another image anywhere.

So...stuck again :(

Have you tried contacting the British C= clubs for help?

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group - http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network - http://www.portcommodore.com/sccan
June 25-26 Commodore Los Angeles Super Show 2022 - http://www.portcommodore.com/class

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: Agency HUB, Dunedin - New Zealand | Fido<>Usenet Gateway (3:770/3)

On Tue, 19 Apr 2022 13:25:31 +0000
"Robert Bernardo" <robert.bernardo@3:770/3> wrote:

On Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at 2:20:30 PM UTC-4, Nigel Reed wrote:

I don't seem to be able to find another image anywhere.

So...stuck again :(

Have you tried contacting the British C= clubs for help?

I didn't know there was one. I'll look them up. Thank you.
--
End Of The Line BBS - Plano, TX
telnet endofthelinebbs.com 23
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (1:124/5016)

I am sorry I don't have time at themoment, but I may have to check this out and try it on WinVice and my C64 and see what I may be able to find out.

-Spitfire Inc presents 3 Unique Systems...

Reign of Fire rof.cnetbbs.net:2300 C-Net Amiga Pro BETA System.
Reign of Fire II rof.cnet64.com:6400 C-Net 64 DS-2 BETA System.
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* ACIS Member. AmigaNet ArakNet C=Net FidoNet RetroNet SciNet
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On Tue, 19 Apr 2022 21:59:21 +0000
"Gary McCulloch" <gary.mcculloch@1:154/50> wrote:

I am sorry I don't have time at themoment, but I may have to check
this out and try it on WinVice and my C64 and see what I may be able
to find out.

I did get the VTX64 to load by using LOAD"VTX64",8,1 since I found a
manual for it, but still not been able to get it to dial out. It looks
like some baud rate issue. I double checked and have tcpser and WinVice
set to 1200 so I'm at a loss. Really wish I could track this Mustang
software down but all I come up with is Ford cars!
--
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telnet endofthelinebbs.com 23
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (1:124/5016)

On Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at 9:20:32 PM UTC-4, Nigel Reed wrote:

I didn't know there was one. I'll look them up.

Well, they are usually disguised under Amiga clubs! :) There is definitely a C64 element in Amiga North Thames (ANT). They are located in Enfield (north London). I've visited them twice and have seen 8-bit Commodores at that club. http://www.
amiganorththames.co.uk/main.shtml

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group - http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network - http://www.portcommodore.com/sccan
June 25-26 Commodore Los Angeles Super Show 2022 - http://www.portcommodore.com/class

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: Agency HUB, Dunedin - New Zealand | Fido<>Usenet Gateway (3:770/3)