Prestel - The Users' View

The Users' View

Users were generally not required to enter an ID in order to log on to one of their local Prestel computers since the session was identified by means of a 10 digit "terminal identifier" which was programmed into their Prestel set at the time of registration. Individual users were then required to enter a further 4 digits representing a user password. Following registration when an initial password was issued, users were able to choose their own password via frame 920. Having logged on each user was taken direct to their default main index page, known as the Welcome Page. For standard users, this would be page 1a, the general top level index to the whole of Prestel. However, if a user signed up through, or later joined, products or services from major IPs, such as Micronet 800, Club 403, Prestel Travel, CitiService, etc., they would be given a different welcome page, so that after logon they were routed directly to 800a, 403a, 747a etc.

From the Welcome Page it was possible for any user to find pages of information in several different ways, or a combination of them. Printed directories were available which gave the full page numbers corresponding to the items in an alphabetical index. Pages were accessed directly by keying "*page number#". Individual pages often had links to related pages which could be accessed by use of one or two digit routing codes. This feature was widely used on sets of index pages which were commonly grouped by subject heading, provided both by the Post Office/BT and by individual IPs. Because of the numerical limitation it was often necessary to go through a series of index pages in order to reach the desired page. Extension frames which might be required to view further information on a topic could be only accessed by use of the "#" key. From 1987 onwards it became possible to use access Prestel pages via use of special alphabetic codes, provided that the IP who owned the page set up a special keyword mapped onto that page. Thus by keying *M NEWS# it was possible for a user to route directly to page *40111# to obtain new about micro-computers.

Special commands were also available, for example to facilitate movement around the database it was possible to step back through a maximum of 3 frames or pages by use of the special key combination "*#". In the event of corruption of a page in transmission it was possible to refresh the page by means of the code *00, which had the advantage of avoiding any page charge being raised again. Alternatively if the user wished to update a page to see the latest information, for example of flight arrival times, the *09 command would retrieve the latest updates, at the same time re-billing any page display charge. If all else failed a user could simply return to the first page which he saw after logging onto the system by use of the *0# combination which brought up their default Main Index. Exceptionally, information could be hidden on a frame by an IP which could only be revealed by use of the ‘Reveal” key of the keypad (e.g. to show an answer to a quiz). The same 'Reveal' key was also used to hide the data once more.