Newspapers on Your Computer? C’mon, Really?
I stumbled across a YouTube video from 1981 describing an emerging technology that would allow someone with a “home computer” to read newspapers on their computer screen. The article explained how this was done and interviewed an editor from the San Francisco Chronicle as well as a “home computer owner.”
It also shows the home user connecting to “a computer in Columbus, OH” using an analog modem (one where you put your phone’s handset into a special cradle to isolate the sound). I actually remember those days. The service in Columbus, OH they are talking about was probably CompuServe. In the video, they talk about how there were “2000 to 3000 home computer owners in the Bay area.”
While we take our computers and Internet access for granted today, it was funny to see the individual they interviewed identified as “Home Computer Owner” - because that was a special breed of person back then. It was also interesting to see that the home computer owner interviewed was an older gentleman who seemed by his attire to be rather well-off, which is understandable as computers cost an arm and a leg back then. The clip is only a couple of minutes long and very interesting:
