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From: ehopper@ehpcb.wlk.com (Ed Hopper)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Info Needed on Prodigy Service
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Date: 12 Nov 90 13:23:18 GMT
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john@bovine.ati.com (John Higdon) writes:

> I have a question: is it true that the Prodigy interface doesn't allow
> any of the material that comes in online to be printed or saved as
> files? If this is the case, then what ever benefits over and above an
> online "shopping channel" the system may possess would be pretty well
> negated.

> I ask this after having just seen a Prodigy commercial that touts an
> online encyclopedia. If you can't print anything, then I would assume
> that you would have to have an awfully good memory or be able to write
> fast. Is it all as bogus as it appears? Do you "really gotta get this
> thing"?

I tried Prodigy during its intro to Houston.  True to the spirit (and
a mean spirit it is) of Prodigy, you can print what "they" want you to
print.  At the bottom of each screen are several option buttons.  If
the prodigy.gods decided that you should be able to retrieve
information, your airline schedule on SAABRE, for example, a "print"
button appears, you can select that option and print the screen (as
ASCII text).  An MS-DOS print screen command didn't work, I believe.

But then, what did you expect from IBM?

After getting disgusted with Prodigy and still wanting a good source
of wire service news and SAABRE access, I signed up with the online
service of the Fort Worth Star Telegram, StarText.  Also $9.95 a
month, but you pay toll.  Of course, if you're in Seattle, etc. the
local news in Fort Worth is not of much interest.  It was very useful,
however, during the Panama invasion to dial up StarText and capture
and print out the latest AP story.  I'd post it on the (cork) bulletin
board at work as they came in.  I wish more papers did this sort of
thing.


Ed Hopper