Computer communications:On-line databases and bulletin boards

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On-line databases and bulletin boards

There are a large number of on-line systems that can be accessed over the telephone line using a personal computer. The biggest are in the US, but there are a number of important ones in this country also.

An on-line system may provide database, bulletin board, and email facilities, sometimes just one or two of these, often all three. It may also provide a 'gateway' - i.e. a communications link - to other on-line databases, which you can access from it.

An on-line database mainly stores libraries of economic, financial, and statistical data, together with up-to-the­ minute news from sources such as Reuters. It will normally be run on a large computer system, and subscribers will have to pay quarterly fees as well as being charged for the information accessed.

A bulletin board is more like a notice board, containing electronic messages, adverts, and informal 'chatting' and interchange of information by users. It is often a small affair, sometimes run by a single enthusiast using a low-cost computer system. A number of bulletin boards are free, so all you have to pay is the cost of the phone bill.

Systems that charge a fee normally provide a number of services, including email. Each subscriber is provided with an electronic 'mailbox', an area on the host computer's disk where messages to him from other users can be stored. He can also send messages to other users, addressing their mailbox by means of their username or number. Like ordinary mail, this kind of system is less immediate than ordinary voice calls but offers a number of advantages:

• There is no interruption factor - you can read all your email and answer them at a time convenient to yourself.

• The normal problems of telephone calls - engaged lines and recipient unavailability- are avoided.

• It may be cheaper than a phone call, especially if the recipient lives a long way away.

• A message can be sent to a number of subscribers at the same time.

Two major UK examples of on-line systems are British Telecom's Prestel and Telecom Gold. Other smaller systems include:

• Easylink, with links between the UK and the US, and ancillary services such as translation of email and telexes into French, German, and Spanish.

• Quik-Comm, an international email service.

• One To One, with email, translation, noticeboard, radio­ paging, as well as access to other databases.

Recently, Compuserve, the enormous US on-line system, has expanded into Europe. This is described below.

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