Is it 1980 still? (Ceefax)

Member Name: bruffyboy

Product:	Ceefax
Date:	29/10/09 (18 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: info

Disadvantages: dated

Ceefax, what an outdated weird service. The BBC has been running this information service since the 70s. Basically, it's a text that you can load up on your TV that contains information such as TV listings, competitions, puzzles and the like. Back in the day, it was on between gaps in programming, but these days it's just available at the touch of a button.

The way it works is so difficult to get right. Basically you type in a three digit number to find the page you're after, and it loads it up in rotation from low to high numbers. Only when it hits your number (which can take a few minutes), does your page load up. The graphics are so basic and old fashioned that it's really a laughable service, and these days it is far surpassed with the 'press the red button' interactive stuff you get on digital.

Today there is nothing you can find on Ceefax that you can't find on the internet, and of course the majority of us are more savvy with the net, but Ceefax is probably only used by the elderly these days. The best thing about Ceefax is the quiz content. Every day, a different Bamboozle quiz was the choice for me and my brother, and that was a lot of fun. Still, when you'd done the quiz there was nothing else to do, and again the internet is much better.

I am surprised that Ceefax is still running - it's an old system that is beaten by the internet, and yet it's still going to be running until 2012. All in all, a blast from the past that is no longer necessary.

Summary: don't bother