PLATO System
PLATO SYSTEM
PLATO was an early multi-user interactive computing system. It's goal was to provide a platform for developing and delivering "computer based education", i.e. programs (called "lessons") that taught the user specific chunks of academic material and it supported online testing and grading. Programming of the lessons was done in a custom language called "Tutor". It was also one of the first systems to provide email.
PLATO was developed at the University of Illinois, starting in the 1960's, and developed into a computer network of educational institutions based out of Florida State University. The terminals were mostly black and white and had touch screen interfaces, but no mice. The terminals could handle black and white graphics, but did not have a standardized graphical user interface. Most of the plato terminals were operated as highly functional dumb terminals, but they could also download both assembly programs and a locally interpreted version of Tutor called "MicroTutor".
The Plato network went the way of the TRS-80 in the 80's as the IBM PC became more popular and educational software for it became widely available.
