On 2019-Oct-20, at 9:14 AM, Nigel Johnson via cctalk wrote:
> On 20/10/2019 06:43, Peter Corlett via cctalk wrote:
>> On Sat, Oct 19, 2019 at 02:23:46PM -0400, Nigel Johnson via cctalk wrote:
>>> Judging by the year, it was probably a teletext terminal. [...]
>> It's not Teletext, unless that word means something different on the other
>> side
>> of the Pond. Teletext was basically a text system (the hint's in the name)
>> with
>> graphics (and indeed colour) being a weird hack that gave it a particular
>> appearance, especially in typical implementations which used the SAA5050
>> character generator chip.
>>
>> The palette and colour fringing suggest Apple II to me.
> It was called teletext despite the implications, at least here in Canada.
> People just couldn't get their tongue around NAPLPS!
>
> It looks just like the teletext systems I worked on, maybe ours was better
> than yours?
For elucidation, here's an example of a Canadian Telidon terminal with display
examples:
http://madrona.ca/e/telidon/index.html
(The processor is indeed a 6809, as Diane was mentioning.)
Graphics was very much a part of the Telidon/NAPLPS protocol.
(Note: Colour capabilities may differ between terminals, the protocol was such
as to permit a range of compatible implementations.)
While the store directory terminal of the OP 'could' have been a Telidon/NAPLPS
terminal, I'd be placing my bets more on the Apple-II (or similar) as others
mentioned. Strikes me more as a standalone unit. I think using a
videotex/teletext/Telidon/NAPLPS terminal would have been awkward and the
economics poor, there'd either have to be a rented comm line to a remote
server, an additional local server, or storage hacked onto the terminal.
The touch-screen is another issue, while it could have been supported in a
proprietary manner I'm not aware of explicit support for touch-screens in the
protocol.
I believe the NAPLPS designation (designation as an industry standard) came
rather late in the game, an attempt to gain some recognition for a dying
project. As "Telidon", it had begun years earlier.
