France’s Lost Computing Generation

Growing up as a computer enthusiast in 90’s France.

While the mid-80’s saw the BBS subculture flourish in the US, I accidentally fell into a parallel experiment in the future of computing that was quintessentially French. Back then the country had been blanketed in free Minitel terminals, which gave everyone access to a broad palette of online services, from directory assistance to online shopping. For about two decades the network came to define France’s pre-Internet era, putting connectivity at the fingertips of everyone. It was…