`
`273
`
`Facilities of the Videotex Service - A Blueprint for Evolution
`
`Among the agreements reached in CCITT Study Group I was a
`first list of
`the "facilities of
`the videotex service” which,
`inn
`addition to simple information retrieval and its preparation for
`that purpose, provides for a set of advanced facilities including
`(among others) terminal-to~terminal communications,
`telesoftware,
`and transactional services. Clearly, videotex is expected to
`evolve rapidly into a total package of services available to the
`user via a single relatively inexpensive terminal on his
`premises.
`
`The actual services to be included in the given offering
`will depend equally on the perceived demand and on the capability
`of
`the technology to present
`the information in a satisfactory
`form and in a cost-effective manner for each application.
`The
`challenge of standardization is to foster the development of a
`healthy service as early as possible without stifling the
`innovation so necessary to the ultimate goal of a mature network
`providing a diverse range of services to as broad a market base
`as possible.
`The approach adopted by the CCITT was first to
`recognize the principal
`technologies on an equal basis, and then
`to attempt
`to extract the elements and concepts common to all.
`For example, graphic models based on mosaic, geometric,
`photographic and dynamically redefinable character set
`concepts were given equal status, and their common
`characteristics were defined as “attributes.”
`
`(DRCS)
`
`
`Attributes ~ the Key to Compatible Exchangeof
`Graphical Information
`
`the principal coding
`Having recognized the validity of
`techniques (alpha, mosaic, - geometric, - photographic, - DRCS)
`the problem faced by the Editor's Group on Recommendation Fb was
`to somehow provide a framework for a converging evolution of
`the
`national systems without a priori biasing of
`the Recommendations
`in favour of one system or another. This was especially
`important
`in view of
`the lack of representative international
`market data for a service still in its infancy.
`
`the Fb Editor's group's deliberations was a
`The result of
`generalization of
`the “attribute” concept (formerly used in a
`narrower sense to apply to character-oriented systems only)
`whereby the emphasis was placed on the displayed information as
`it appears to the terminal user, regardless of
`the technique used
`to generate that
`information on the display. Attributes include
`colour,
`textual character size, overlay of concealed information,
`flashing, and shading textures for lines and surfaces.
`
`
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 301
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 301
`
`

`

`274
`
`the definition of
`A particularly significant example was
`the concepts of “foreground” and “background” in the treatment of
`alphanumeric text
`in a manner acceptable to proponents of both
`alpha-geometric and alpha-mosaic systems.
`In the alpha-mosaic
`concept, “background” had been considered to refer only to the
`small rectangular area forming a character cell or location on
`the display.
`In the alpha-geometric concept,
`the background
`consists of
`the net result of all previously displayed informaton
`on the whole screen which could include an unlimited number of
`updates or overlays on the same page of
`information. This more
`generalized treatment, while posing some conceptual difficulties
`for the advocates of character-oriented systems, provides for a
`continuously updatable display using page ~ store techniques.
`Such a display is used in Telidon to provide for variety in the
`presentation of educational and other information and allows the
`effect of motion to be created on the display.
`The initial
`difference of views was resolved by the realization that
`the
`different concepts of “foreground” and “background” were not so
`much characteristic of
`the mosaic versus geometric systems as to
`character-oriented verus picture~element-oriented (or page store)
`display memories, and it is the interest of all concerned to hold
`the door open to further enhancements to the pioneer systems, as
`well as recognizing the capabilities of
`the more sophisticated of
`today's systems.
`
`
`Successive Enhancement or Pre-Planned Evolution -
`AConverging Path?
`
`In addition to the previous example of foreground/
`background treatement, it was recognized that other attributes of
`alpha-mosaic systems could and should be enhanced in the near
`future.
`Items in this category include display resolution
`(witness DRCS), number of colours (by extended or downloaded
`control sets),
`random access on the screen to the character level
`by row/column addressing), and perhaps someday, motion.
`The recommendation Fb allows for all of
`these capabilities
`whether as features of currently available sytems such as
`Telidon, or as enhancements to alpha-mosaic systems.
`Some
`characteristics (such as high resolution display) are currently
`available on an alpha-~photographic system called CAPTAIN in
`Japan, and others might presumably be added by a process of
`enhancement.
`
`
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 302
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 302
`
`

`

`
`
`Alpha-
`geometric
`photographic
`pages
`in
`
`—»
`
`DRCS
`modelling
`algorithm
`
`
`
`
`
`275
`
`Given the heavy investment by a few countries in pioneer
`alpha~mosaic technology, Canada sees this trend to enhanced
`first-generation technology as a welcome one for two reasons:
`
`First, it reinforces the original design assumptions
`which provided for the more sophisticated features
`of Telidon from the very beginning.
`It is clear that
`the sponsors of first generation alpha-mosaic systems
`now see the need for such features as high resolution
`graphics,
`random updates to the display, and more
`colour capability.
`
`Second, it raises the hope that conversion algorithms
`can be adopted to allow interworking between alpha-
`geometric and enhanced alpha-mosaic systems at
`the
`network or data base level, since with DRCS the
`alpha-mosaic terminals would potentially be able to
`display Telidon pages,
`though with considerably less
`efficiency, a restricted sequence of presentation,
`and perhaps without an exact rendering of motion
`sequences. Certainly,
`if automated devices can
`someday be developed to generate DRCS pages from
`hard copy,
`the same algorithms should apply equally
`to alpha-geometric or alpha-photographic pages
`retrieved from a foreign data bank and held temporarily
`in a page - store memory for conversion.
`
`Pattern
`
`recognition
`
`Alpha-
`alpha~photographic
`photo-
`input
`terminal
`> pages
`circuitry
`ee graphic
`out
`
`Alpha~
`DRCS
`pages
`out
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 303
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 303
`
`

`

`276
`
`Such a conversion process could involve the generation
`of a new character set for each alpha~geometric or
`alpha~photographic page received, a problem comparable in some
`respects to the PAL — NTSC conversion of live television
`signals, but considerably more tolerant of processing delays.
`Presumably,
`the above assumptions apply to conversions from
`alpha-mosaic/DRCS formats to alpha~geometric formats,
`though
`within the higher transmission efficiency of
`the
`alpha~geometric system in the receiving network.
`
`Background to Canada's Choice of an Alpha-Geometric/
`Alpha Photographic Coding Standard for Telidon
`
`The Canadian Videotex Consultative Committee, an
`advisory body with multi-sectoral representatives,
`recommended
`a field trial standards freeze based on Telidon's alpha-
`geometric/photographic technology until 1982 based on its
`superiority for information preparation, data base and network
`operation, and terminal cost/performance considerations.
`These
`various aspects will be addressed in detail below.
`
`Information Preparation: Arising as it does from
`1)
`computer graphics technology, alpha-geometric technology offers
`more promise for the efficient creation of pages than
`alpha-mosaic technology. Early models of
`the Telidon
`Information Provider terminal demonstrated their potential for
`high page throughput at Telecom '79 using a computer-aided
`manual
`input
`technique and joy-stick or light-pen for the
`generation of graphics.
`The geometric code is also highly
`suitable for the computer generation of data in graphical form
`without human intervention. Many data bases already exist
`which contain suitable data for use with this technique.
`Alpha~photographic systems are also in a good position to draw
`upon highly developed data acquisition techniques based on
`facsimile technology.
`
`On the other hand, alpha-mosaic/DRCS input systems will
`require a very subtle and complex modelling process for the
`identification of
`the optimum character set for a given page of
`graphical information. This is bound to permanently impact on
`the throughput and efficiency even of automated alpha-DRCS page
`preparation systems which are not yet
`in sight
`from a
`
`
`
`
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 304
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 304
`
`

`

`277 commercial standpoint.
`
`the best
`In the authors’ opinion,
`strategy for an information provider who must serve an
`alpha-mosaic or alpha-DRCS market
`is to use alpha-geometric
`(and in some cases, alpha-photographic) page creation devices
`with their superior throughput and graphical editing
`capabilities, converting the result automatically through such
`a device as that
`in the previous illustration.
`The information
`provider could thus serve all major videotex markets by
`maintaining a data base primarily in alpha-geometric format and
`converting to alpha-mosaic, DRCS, or photographic format as
`required.
`In addition to achieving higher preparation
`throughput, he would also be better prepared for future growth
`into higher resolution systems and for the advent of
`terminal-
`to-terminal communication using computer graphics techniques.
`A side benefit would be reduced storage requirements (about
`400-500 bytes average per page with Telidon) in his data bank.
`
`
`The two main data base
`2) Data Base Considerations:
`considerations are obsolescence of stored data due to
`technological change, and operational cost.
`In the authors!
`opinion, alpha-geometric systems offer the best alternative for
`the operation of data bases because stored data is unlikely to
`be obsoleted by the development of
`improved terminals.
`Perhaps
`the greatest advantages of
`the geometric approach relate to
`operating cost.
`A lower average byte count per page can be
`expected to reduce storage costs, but more importance can be
`attached to the ability of both low-resolution and high-
`resolution terminals to use the same pages of
`information,
`eliminating the necessity to store and maintain several
`versions of
`the same page (for instance, for ordinary mosaic,
`smoothed graphic mosaic, and alpha~DRCS terminals).
`The
`dialogue between data base and terminal
`to establish the
`terminal's characteristics at
`the beginning of
`the session
`would also be simplified for the geometric case, and the
`processing overhead to select the appropriate version of each
`page to match the terminal's characteristics could be
`eliminated.
`The execution of DRCS down-load sequences could
`also be expected to add materially to processing overhead and
`possibly reduce the number of user terminals to be supported
`simultaneously by the data base computer, as well as loading
`the network.
`A yet unexplored area for DRCS techniques is the
`problem of updating existing pages on the data base. This
`process will require either that a new download sequence be
`provided with each page, or that single special character sets
`be defined for all future pages in the same section of
`the data
`base.
`
`
`
`
`
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 305
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 305
`
`

`

`278
`
`3) Network Considerations: Assuming transparency in the
`network,
`the comparison problem reduces itself to one of
`network operating cost on a per~page basis. This cost has two
`major components, namely,
`the cost of
`transmission of
`the page
`itself, and the cost of any overhead functions.-
`The actual
`number of bytes per page in the geometric system could be
`expected to be lower, as mentioned above.
`In addition,
`there
`would be no need for the overhead consumed by the DRCS
`down-load sequence.
`This overhead could be expected to reach
`serious proportions as the user browses through different
`actions of
`the data base, necessitating frequent down-load
`sequences.
`Of course,
`this problem could be minimized by
`restricting the use of
`the DRCS technique to certain pages,
`with all the attendant complexities of planning the data base
`structure and context.
`It therefore seems to us that the DRCS
`technique may be useful in the short
`term for countries already
`firmly on the mosaic standard and who wish to communicate in
`some relatively small non-Latin alphabets (Kanji and Kana not
`included), but
`that
`the improvement
`in graphics performance it
`offers is,
`in general, not sufficient to justify the additional
`overhead and complexity which would be imposed on the network
`and data base.
`The alpha-~geometric system can perform all of
`these functions much more simply without
`the limitations.
`For
`instance, ordinary Telidon terminals can receive Kanji, Kana
`and other non-Latin characters without a prior character set
`definition simply by drawing the characters. Characters can be
`written in an order vertically or from right
`to left as is
`normal for some non-Latin languages.
`
`It has been rightly pointed
`4) Terminal Considerations:
`out by the advocates of alpha-mosaic systems that it is
`essential that
`the terminal be as inexpensive as possible,
`given the function it is to perform. What we are now
`witnesssing seems to be a process of successive enhancement
`the basic alpha-mosaic terminal
`to add new attributes and
`capabilities in an attempt
`to compete with alpha-geometric and
`alpha-photographic systems for a perceived set of requirements.
`We have seen proposals to enhance the graphics resolution via
`DRCS, and other enhancements such as row~column addressing and
`telesoftware. Each new enhancement will render obsolescent a
`generation of existing alpha-mosaic terminals and will also
`force a resultant fragmentation of
`the data base and terminal
`market.
`For instance,
`if only business terminals have DRCS,
`the businessman will be unable to work at home using his
`domestic set. More significantly, each new enhancement will
`require a new module in the terminal,
`increasing its costs.
`
`to
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 306
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 306
`
`

`

`279
`
`Hand assembled full resolution Telidon terminals using only
`commonly available semiconductors are now being built and sold
`for about $1800 (U.S.) with firm quotations of $1000 (U.S. )by
`the end of 1980.
`‘The reducing cost of memory and custom VLSI
`techniques are expected to rapidly reduce this cost
`to a few
`hundred dollars in the next
`few years.
`
`On the other hand, enhancements to mosaic terminals will
`tend to drive the terminal cost up as well as obsoleting the
`previous models.
`It should also be pointed out
`that
`these
`enhancements generally do not go as far as the basic geometric
`system in terms of performancee
`For
`instance, DRCS offers one
`choice of resolution related to the standard television screen,
`while geometric coding can compatibly drive a range of displays
`including ultra-high resolution displays such as are being
`considered for future digital television standards. Another
`example would be the capability to display motion, which has
`not yet been proposed for the alpha-mosaic standard.
`
`5) General Considerations: Viewed from a broad
`perspective, Telidon was chosen because it offered a wider
`range of features on a more cost-effective basis and with a
`simpler, more powerful conceptual base than the alternative
`systems. Not only is the comparison favourable in the short
`term, but it is expected to swing even more strongly in favour
`of Telidon as technology marches on.
`If anything, Telidon
`terminals will become simpler as well as less expensive and it
`will be possible to improve network performance by off-loading
`still more processing into the terminal,
`reducing the load on
`the data base and the network. This trend is in contrast
`to
`the increasing complexity of
`the networks, data bases, and
`input systems which will be required to support enhanced
`alpha-mosatic systems.
`:
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 307
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 307
`
`

`

`280
`
`Conclusions:
`
`international standards which
`We welcome the adoption of
`recognize all valid techniques for videotex communication,
`since the market place will decide the most suitable in the
`long term. Recent developments in enhancements to first
`generation systems confirm Canada's initial decision to start
`with a second generation system.
`
`
`
`
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 308
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 308
`
`

`

`
`
`
`
`28l
`
`
`
`Prestel User Market Research
`
`K Watson
`Videotex Consultant
`Eastel Services
`
`England
`
`Keith Watson, one of the second generation of Prestel
`speakers, has spent about 20 years in the newspaper and
`publishing advertising environment sees clearly the need
`for I.Ps to define their market and then satisfy these
`needs.
`
`Copyright © 1980 by Online Conferences Ltd.
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 309
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 309
`
`

`

`There appears to be a considerable need both at home, and
`from an information collection viewpoint from overseas
`organisations interested in developing a videotex system
`for credible end user research. As a typical Prestel
`I.P, we at Eastel have defined areas of future potential
`to develop when building our database and have structured
`our planning in accordance with these definitions, but
`this is largely on guess work,
`
`Our investigations have found no effective research
`programme, There are however some active programmes.
`known to us and two major examples are now discussed.
`
`The Post Office Market Test Trial was designed nearly
`three years ago, not as a package for oversease use, but
`principaily as documented on-going information, This
`would be utilised to assist the Post Office to refine
`their database instructions and routeing tree structures
`to suit the markets need,
`
`Coupled with a sub-set of information to be made
`available to Information Providers it is giving details
`of frame accesses,
`the use and popularity of various
`areas of the database,
`length of time in use as well. as
`the time of day subsidised users were accessing data.
`This is the extent of the Post Office contribution to
`build a marketable database which to be fair is a
`commendable effort, utilising great amounts of time and
`resulting in huge benefits to constructing sound index's
`in Prestel,
`
`This much needed exercise encountered problems from the
`start with the scarcity of user sets proving to be one
`of the most persistent,
`
`282
`
`
`
`The emphasis seems to have changed within the Post Office
`who have advanced to new areas of specialist research,
`
`Plans for research in a live macro market situation
`appear uncertain, if indeed,
`the Post Office feel that
`their neutral réle as information carriers, is within
`their brief to research this ultimate stage of
`development,
`
`Back in 1978, Fintel placed a number of sponsored user
`sets into the premises of some of théir prime customers,
`This initial evaluation proved to become a useful
`foundation to future in depth user research for Fintel,
`A series of questionnaires evolved to discover
`information relevant to the business user market, Feed-
`back thus gained has proved valuable to Fintel in
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 310
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 310
`
`

`

`
`
`
`database building decision making, although this can
`hardly be considered a quantifiable sample, and was never
`considered as serious from sales research,
`
`Defining the Need
`
`Although the Viewdata world is full of qualitative
`judgements, and educated guesses, no one has yet
`constructed a reliable research programme to define
`precisely what information can best be carried by this
`new medium, and what the marketplace expects and requires
`from the information presented,
`
`Undoubtedly many applications will be discovered
`depending upon the environment. Closed user groups,
`inhouse message. systems and semi intelligent stock
`control devices, are all specific uses that have been
`defined and can be explored within specific locations,
`
`But the service that the majority of U.K. Information
`Providers,
`the U.K. Post Office and the majority of
`overseas services are gearing themselves towards is a
`broad based residential market,
`Indeed this has been
`defined as the prime area of potential for all areas
`of our own Kastel operation, defensively, hoth as a
`consultancy and a directory publisher.
`
`The imminent need for research of the residential
`segment in a free market situation is strong and should
`receive more support if it is to be sensibly exploited,
`
`The unique free market position created by the
`development of this medium will prove to become a
`valuable adjunct of meaningful research,
`
`Information Providers are the key to the success of
`Prestel,
`
`the
`Without a marketable database that the user wants,
`manufacturer will not be able to retail his sets and
`the Post Office will not recoup money invested in
`developing the system.
`
`It is vital to all parties concerned that every
`Information Provider defines his market and market
`expectations and matches them to his inputting resource
`and information capability.
`
`
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 311
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 311
`
`

`

`284
`
`New needs for information will constantly be identified
`as the market develops ~ and these needs have to be
`assessed, monitored and acted upon with the constraints
`
`of the continuously changing Prestel environment,
`
`
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 312
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 312
`
`

`

`
`
`285
`
`Prestel as a publishing medium:
`the elements of success or failure
`
`Rex Winsbury
`Viewdata Director
`
`Fintel Ltd.
`London
`
`The editing techniques, publishing schedules; economics,
`usage patterns, competitive environment, and professional
`skills involved in making a commercial success of Prestel
`or other viewdata systems are quite different to
`traditional publishing on paper. Viewdata is not an
`'electronic clone' of the original paper products, but
`a new ‘publication'
`in its own right, with its own rules.
`Therefore an open and enquiring mind is called for about
`what to publish in the electronic medium, witn an
`offensive rather than defensive approach.
`The elements
`of being a
`'Prestel publisher' are aiso surprisingly
`varied.
`A new market breeds new business opportunities
`and new business organisations to meet
`them.
`
`Copyright © 1980 by Online Conferences Ltd.
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 313
`
`
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 313
`
`

`

`A. What are the motives to become an ‘electronic
`publisher'?
`
`Many of these apply to all Information Providers to Prestel
`and to other viewdata systems. But they have especial
`
`force for a ‘traditional’ publisher of newspapers, maga-
`zines etc, and even more so for a publisher of business
`information.
`They are as follows:-
`
`1. A basic instinct that much business and financial
`information is being computerised, and that computer-based
`distribution systems will increasingly be a bread-and-
`butter means whereby business people, not to mention civil
`servants and others in the office context, will get their
`information. Whether this will in due course cut into
`sales of traditional paper-based products, or whether it
`
`will be an addition to it, as business life gets more
`complex and demanding,
`is a matter of argument.
`It is
`noticeable, for example,
`that over the last two years or
`so the statistical content of the Financial Times - that
`is, material which most readily transfers to the computer
`- has been considerably increased in response to reader
`demand.
`It may be that there is a general process going
`on,
`a demand for more and more accurate data, which will
`be fulfilled in a number of ways. But obviously, one must
`also be prepared in the long term for some impact on sales
`of paper products.
`
`this process works out, it is clear that
`2. However
`electronic publishing, however defined, offers a clear
`chance for business diversification, for business and
`other publishers. This is a simple commercial opportunity,
`which might have been carrier pidgeons or smoke signals,
`but just happens to be electronic transmission of data.
`It is simply a new market opening up.
`
`285
`
`the familiar restrictions of the
`
`3. By the same logic, it is clear that if one company does
`not step in and exploit this opportunity, others will.
`Market forces operate here as elsewhere, and there must
`therefore be a defensive element as well as an offensive
`element.
`It should be remembered that there is no prior
`definition of who can, and cannot, be an electronic
`publisher.
`New entrants, or entrants from other walks of
`life, enter the arena.
`The landscape looks different from
`paper publishing, and quite rightly, it is a chance for
`entrepreneurial challenges to arise.
`
`4. For a newspaper company, operating in the Fleet Street
`environment
`in particular, it is a chance to explore the
`potential of new technology at arms length from,
`though
`not totally away from,
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 314
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 314
`
`

`

`
`
`
`
`
`
`287
`
`
`
`By world standards, Fleet
`immediate newspaper environment.
`Street is in a technological sense extremely backward.
`This is not the place to argue why this is so, or whether
`it matters, or how long it can last. But it is a fact,
`and viewdata represents a useful opportunity to keep pace
`with computer systems by other means.
`
`5. Prestel/viewdata is also a means and opportunity for
`exploring new combinations of people and skills. Like
`many Other industries,
`the newspaper industry is fairly
`tightly demarcated between unionised functions, e.g.
`journalists, compositors, clerical staff,
`library staff.
`At Fintel, we have never made any secret of our intention
`to mix together people from different background into one
`single team, with cross-fertilisation of skills and
`attitudes.
`It has been one of the most rewarding aspects
`of what we have done,
`to see how people, free of formal
`restrictions on what
`they can do, branch out and develop
`in unexpected ways.
`
`6. Viewdata systems enable their participants to explore
`and evaluate the concept of the database. This is a much
`wider concept than Prestel or viewdata itself, and is
`applicable to many computer systems. Many newspaper and
`other publishing companies are moving into this field,
`seeing themselves more and more as
`‘information companies':
`but it can be expensive, and is certainly a novel, even
`foreign territory to those more familiar with year-books
`or late editions. Viewdata is an easy, relatively cheap
`and accessible way of exploring the database concept with
`a view to future decisions on investment, outlets,
`commercial policy in this new but developing field.
`
`7. A further motive is to explore the relationship between
`viewdata systems and other electronic systems. As more and
`more activities,
`from letter writing to typesetting,
`from business forecasting to games, fall under the spell
`of the computer, so the relative role of viewdata will
`develop and change.
`Is it, for example, basically a
`vehicle for data held elsewhere - a distribution and
`marketing tool? Or is it (also)
`a vehicle for original
`material, or an original repository from which other
`computer systems can draw?
`In short, what is viewdata's
`place in the general electronic environment? An elec-
`tronic publisher needs to know.
`
`8. By becoming involved in Prestel/viewdata early in the
`game, a publisher has a chance to influence the develop-
`ment of the medium in ways
`favourable
`to himself, and
`to the commercial future of the medium as he seesit.
`
`
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 315
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 315
`
`

`

`288
`
`Traditional publishing disciplines andconstraints do apply,
`mutatis mutandis,
`to electronic publishing as well.
`
`9, Early participation is also a business opportunity to
`set up, or try to set up, a viewdata ‘hot shop’, with an all-
`round capacity in viewdata matters. There is some reason
`to suppose that the market will only sustain a limited
`number of these specialist viewdata companies offering a
`complete range of viewdata services (defined below), and
`that it may be the early birds that catch this particular
`worm. While viewdata is too young, and changing too
`quickly,
`to make dogmatic statements,
`I doubt whether the
`idea of every Prestel user being an Information Provider,
`and vice versa, will ever be more than partially true.
`As with paper publishing (which in theory any organisation
`or individual can do)
`there will tend to emerge in practice
`a limited group of specialist companies with the skills,
`people, premises and experience to handle a wide range of
`products on behalf of other people.
`
`to be looked at with a fresh mind.
`
`
`
`This is not a complete List of motives: not all apply to
`everyone.
`Each publisher has to make his own decision
`whether the balance lies for or against participation in
`Prestel/viewdata.
`For the Financial Times/Extel,
`the
`balance was quite clearly in favour: hence the creation
`of Fintel Ltd.
`
`B. What then are the components of an electronic publishing
`business in the full sense that I have mentioned above?
`
`they will vary from case to case, but based on our
`Again,
`own experience,
`in which we began with the simple notion
`of being an Information Provider and developed from there,
`the components might be as follows:-
`
`1. An open mind about what to publish in the new medium.
`Clearly, your existing data must be your starting point.
`But
`too many newspaper, magazine and book publishers see
`viewdata as some sort of ‘electronic clone' of their
`original paper publication, or as a poor man's version of
`it. Worse,
`they see viewdata just as a trailer or taste
`for the ‘main’ publication, or as an advertisement for
`it. This is not only excessively defensive and unimagina-
`tive: it is also courting disaster, because the Prestel/
`viewdata audience will surely not accept in the long run
`second-hand, derivative, cut-down versions of what may
`anyway be cheaper to buy elsewhere. Whatever you publish
`on viewdata, has to be right and convincing in viewdata
`terms: it may in many cases be very different from what
`your home publications look like.
`In short, it is a new
`publication,
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 316
`
`PMC Exhibit 2111
`Apple v. PMC
`IPR2016-01520
`Page 316
`
`

`

`
`
`289
`
`2. At this early stage, it may also imply a diversified
`viewdata publication,
`that is flexible and to a degree
`disposable.
`No one can yet pretend to have found the
`right product or product mix for Prestel/viewdata. There-
`fore it is necessary to hedge one's bets,
`try out alter-
`natives, with ways of measuring the success or failure of
`those alternatives. Again an open but experimental mind
`is called for.
`
`3. Just as the viewdatabase may be diversified, so should
`the people be diverse. This point has been mentioned in
`the previous section. But is is still too early to say
`whether the journalist's eye,
`the computer person's eye,
`the librarian's eye,
`the graphic artist's eye,
`the book
`publisher's eye, or any other eye, will perceive the best
`uses of viewdata - or whether it is a pooling of all those
`and other perceptions. Again, it is necessary to hedge
`one's bets.
`
`the outlets for a specialist view-
`4. By a similar logic,
`data company must be diverse.
`For a UK company, of course
`the Prestel system must be his primary focus of interest,
`especially at this stage of viewdata development. But
`viewdata promises to be a world-wide phenomenon,
`in which
`national boundaries become increasingly meaningless as the
`technology, and international standards for it, are
`evolved.
`Somedata is very parochial: but a surprising
`amount is not, provided that the person in the other
`country can have easy and cheap access to it.
`The worid
`is your oyster as a viewdata publisher, far more immedia-
`tely and dramatically than with paper publications, even
`allowing for language barriers.
`
`5. But the most important component is what results from
`these diversified people, outlets and attitudes, and that
`is a diverse range of activities that go to make an all-
`round specialist viewdata publishing business. This range
`of a