On 12 Jul 96 at 14:07, Daniel Salber wrote: [..]

Well, sorry if it is. That's what I read in a book about the early history of telephone. I don't have the reference handy right now, though.

Understandable.

BUT: how do you explain that from the original conception (using the telephone for broadcasting), the telephone came to be a one-to-one communication tool ? Even if the implementation allowed it, someone had to think of it, right ?

Bell thought of the idea orig. as a broadcaster. Then somehow when it was set up he or someone else in AT&T did that. If I recall (no refs handy) it had to do with the telegraph being (sort of) point-to-point... Bell used to tour the vaudville circuit showing off the telephone. I think the idea emerged during that time... during such shows of tech (common at the time) there was a Q&A from the audience. Rob

Thanks for the clarification anyway.

Daniel

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