Path: ...!news.misty.com!news.iecc.com!.POSTED.news.iecc.com!not-for-mail
From: John Levine <johnl@taugh.com>
Newsgroups: comp.misc,alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: the early teletype
Date: Sat, 23 Nov 2024 21:37:38 -0000 (UTC)
Organization: Taughannock Networks
Message-ID: <vhthv2$2hj4$1@gal.iecc.com>
References: <673571b4$2$13$882e4bbb@reader.netnews.com> <tgur0lxla7.ln2@Telcontar.valinor> <vhsdft$11t$1@panix2.panix.com> <TRp0P.4719$BuL8.2070@fx03.iad>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Injection-Date: Sat, 23 Nov 2024 21:37:38 -0000 (UTC)
Injection-Info: gal.iecc.com; posting-host="news.iecc.com:2001:470:1f07:1126:0:676f:7373:6970";
	logging-data="83556"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@iecc.com"
In-Reply-To: <673571b4$2$13$882e4bbb@reader.netnews.com> <tgur0lxla7.ln2@Telcontar.valinor> <vhsdft$11t$1@panix2.panix.com> <TRp0P.4719$BuL8.2070@fx03.iad>
Cleverness: some
X-Newsreader: trn 4.0-test77 (Sep 1, 2010)
Originator: johnl@iecc.com (John Levine)
Bytes: 2080
Lines: 21

According to Charlie Gibbs  <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid>:
>> Telex and TWX were different but I remember that they both allowed
>> offline message preparation on paper tape and then later in-memory
>> on a smart terminal.
>
>Telex was Baudot, TWX was ASCII.  The typical Teletype hardware models
>were 32ASR and 33ASR respectively.

Telex was Western Union, TWX was AT&T. There were early Baudot TWX machines
starting in 1931. Baudot TWX used manual operators until 1962 when they cut over
all 60,000 TWX subscribers to dial service over the Labor Day weekend and
assigned them regular POTS numbers. ASCII TWX with x10 area codes was introduced
in 1963.

AT&T sold TWX to Western Union in 1969 who didn't do a very good job of
integrating it with Telex, and the remains of Telex were sold back to
AT&T in 1990.

-- 
Regards,
John Levine, johnl@taugh.com, Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies",
Please consider the environment before reading this e-mail. https://jl.ly