Excitement is growing about the services offered by Halifax, West-Yorkshire-based firm Datalinx Ltd, originally set up four years ago, and now a part of National Telecommunications Plc’s Data Communications division. Datalinx is taking advantage of its delayed entry into the UK electronic mail market to allow users of its electronic mail service – which is the heart of the Datalinx operation – to communicate with subscribers of other UK systems such as Telecom Gold, One-to-One, Mercurylink, MCI Mail in the US, and on international networks such as Infonet and Geonet. Apart from text messaging, subscribers can also send spreadsheets, numerical data and graphics over Packet Switch Stream, using the X-modem file transfer error correction protocol. The in-house developed software is, says Datalinx, designed for novice users, with a full screen menu, backing help screens and four line prompts, and can be used with any appropriate communications software or Datalinx’ own Message Manager package. Under Message Manager, lists can be set up for automatic mailing to electronic mailbox, telex and facsimile users, and offers other features such as message storage, reply and forwarding, and a tone and message paging service. Related services include a search program for on-line databases, dealing with both structured information and free text, such as newspapers, and on-line services such as typesetting and photo-plotting. Datalinx also supplies an integrated voice and data local area network, called Datos, aimed particularly at temporary applications, such as at exhibitions; available as a package including switchboard, phone line sockets, connecting devices and all the software, the system is said to be completely portable and can handle up to 256 interconnected terminals. Voice switching is unaffected by the Datos net, with telephones plugged into their usual sockets or into a connecting device. As far as price is concerned, users pay a one-off registration fee of UKP40, a usage charge of 10 pence a minute, and a Packet Switch Stream charge of 4 pence a minute. The electronic mail service is free between Datalinx mailboxes, while the cross system service starts at 25 pence for every 1,000 characters. The Message Manager Communications software, available in MS-DOS version only, costs UKP35. – Mark John