Editing NAPLPS (section)

== Two-way systems ==

Various two-way systems using NAPLPS appeared in North America in the early 1980s. The biggest North American examples were [[Knight Ridder]]'s [[Viewtron]] (based in [[Miami]]) and the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''{{'}} [[Gateway (online service)|Gateway]] service (based in [[Orange County, California|Orange County]]). Both used the [[AT&T Sceptre|Sceptre]] NAPLPS terminal from AT&T. The Sceptre contained a slow modem that connected over the consumer's telephone line to host computers. The Sceptre was expensive whether purchased or rented. Despite huge investments by their parent companies, neither Viewtron nor Gateway lasted into the second half of the decade. Another system, Keyfax, was developed by Keycom Electronic Publishing, a joint venture of [[Honeywell]], Centel (since acquired by Sprint) and [[Field Enterprises]], then-owner of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' newspaper. Keyfax had originally been a WST teletext service, broadcast overnights on Field's Chicago television station [[WFLD|WFLD-32]]<ref>{{Citation |title=WFLD Channel 32 - Nite-Owl (Complete & Remastered, 8/25/1982) 🦉 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgs0kbxo68w |language=en |access-date=2022-11-21}}</ref> and through the VBI of both WFLD and national superstation [[WTBS (TV)|WTBS]]; the decision was made to convert Keyfax into a subscription service, using a proprietary NAPLPS terminal device in a last-ditch effort to save the service. It did not work and Keyfax had ceased operations by the end of 1986.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Keycom |url=http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/carlson/history/Keycom.htm |access-date=2022-11-21 |website=iml.jou.ufl.edu}}</ref>

Other early-1980s NAPLPS technology was deployed in Canada, both as a way for rural Canadians to get news and weather information and as the platform for touchscreen information kiosks. In [[Vancouver]] these were featured at [[Expo 86]].  The kiosks became ubiquitous in [[Toronto]] under the name ''Teleguide,'' and were deployed in many shopping centres and at major tourist attractions. The latter city was the North American nexus of NAPLPS and the home of [[Norpak]], the most successful of NAPLPS-oriented developers. Norpak created and sold hardware and software for NAPLPS development and display. [[TVOntario]] also developed NAPLPS content creation software.

London, Ontario - based Cableshare used NAPLPS as the basis of touch-screen information kiosks for shopping malls, the flagship of which was deployed at Toronto's [[Eaton Centre]]. The system relied on an 8085-based microcomputer which drove several NAPLPS terminals fitted with touch screens, all communicating via [[Datapac]] to a back end database. The system offered news, weather and sports information along with shopping mall guides and coupons. Cableshare also developed and sold a leading NAPLPS page creation utility called the "Picture Painter."

In the late 1980s, [[Tribune Media Services]] (TMS) and the [[Associated Press]] operated a cable television channel called AP News Plus that provided NAPLPS-based news screens to [[cable television]] subscribers in many U.S. cities. The news pages were created and edited by TMS staffers working on an [[Atex (software)|Atex]] editing system in [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], [[Florida]], and sent by satellite to NAPLPS decoder devices located at the local cable television companies. Among the firms providing technology to TMS and the Associated Press for the AP News Plus channel was [[Minneapolis]]-based Electronic Publishers Inc. (1985–1988).

In 1981, two amateur radio operators (VE3FTT and VE3GQW) received special permission from the Canadian Department of Communications to carry out on-air experiments using NAPLPS syntax which was technically not legal at the time because it was a "coded transmission".  Following their report on the success of the tests, the DOC then permitted general use of NAPLPS on amateur radioteletype.  This was reported in the ARRL Radio Handbook for several years following.

Between 1988 and 1994, [[Bell Canada]] offered a [[Modem|dial-up]] Telidon service called [[Alex (videotex service)|Alex]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=american teletext - ריהוט משרדי |url=http://www.office-furniture.org.il/lcvank9o/ |access-date=2022-12-09 |website=www.office-furniture.org.il |language=he-IL}}</ref> similar in spirit to the French [[Minitel]], with the telephone directory its principal information offering.