In 1984, not many people owned a personal computer. But the tech-savvy people who did and also lucky to have a modem for internet connection were treated to the speed and convenience of “electronic message writing down the phone line.” British network Thames Television released a clip from its mid-1980s computer show Database, which featured very early tech adopters sending email through big, clunky computers.
Micronet was an early Information Provider available through the Prestel service in the United Kingdom during the 70s and 80s. URLs hadn’t been dreamed up yet, so every page on the service was numbered.
In order to demonstrate how to send an email from one computer to another, Mrs. Green has to search for Database’s mailbox on Micronet, where she’s able to type the production team a kind message of gratitude:
