In the 1980's the BBC micro ruled the roost in UK schools, but most of those BBCs where not standalone machines, part of their success was that a BBC could be a connected machine. Acorn's Econet was used to link BBCs together, and provide network services.

Acorn Econet gave the BBC Micro access to file and print services, e-mail, viewdata, messaging, chat applications, remote control, databases, and plenty of other applications. The x.25 gateway even allowed an Econet network to be connected to a public network, and connect to universities, VAX and a mainframe systems.

Econet was the mostly widely deployed LAN technology in the UK at one point with over 10,000 networks, all at a point in time when Bill Gates had yet to learn what a network was.

Thanks
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I would like to thank Prof. Alan Macfarlen for his kind permission to use his interview with Hermann Hauser. He has recorded a number of interviews with leading figures, which I would encourage viewers to have a look at. http://www.alanmacfarlane.com/ancesto...

I would also like to thanks ZombiWorkshop for using his impressive talents on my behalf once again producing some art assets for this video (the Owl I used in the short animated section). He also produced all the channel art you see for me as well. So if you would like to see more of his work (and who wouldn't) have a look at his website http://www.zombiworkshop.com/