Email is one of the most important tools for users, and probably one of the most hated. But like the entire network of networks, it had to go through a complex evolutionary process. Just look at what a person had to do to send an email in 1984. A short video from the old UK show Database shows part of the process… with manual dialing and modem noise included.
In the 1980s we saw many tech projects born and die, and the internet is no exception. Some aspects of the network (which, by the way, predate its creation) have been with us for decades, while others were consumed by time and evolution. Users adapt quickly... and I dare say they forget just as fast. We must also add the inevitable generational gap, which we saw a great example of in this video of Windows 95 facing a group of teenagers.
Today we have functions that are perfectly natural and easy to use, but before… before it was a ritual. With that in mind, let's explore the case of email. If you need to send one now you know exactly what to do, but imagine you're in 1984, and the internet you know is a crazy dream that sounds like science fiction...
Email in 1984
What you just saw is a short clip from the tech show Database, broadcast by Thames TV during the 1980s in London and nearby areas. The 'live' demo involves two users of the service Micronet 800, an "information provider" on the Prestel videotex system, which at its peak had 90,000 users. Micronet 800 offered a wide range of services, and email was just one of them.
Needless to say, services were extremely centralized back then, but with 90,000 users available, Micronet 800's email could be a very effective communication channel. The message took only a few seconds to process, and I have to admit that printing its content might have been faster back then (?).
Besides the live email demo, the Database program seemed to be a step ahead with its experimental data transmissions for different systems. Now, am I crazy, or was your email password '1234'? The login process doesn't seem to include a username, though I guess security wasn't a priority back then. In summary: some of us still hate email, but we can't deny it's much better now.
