DX1ARM Forum

QuotePhones used to belong to a household; now they're personal property. A shared line was irritating when it was the only option: Teenagers (or modem-connected computers) might tie up the phone for ages, a few handsets scattered throughout the house limited privacy on the phone, and anyone could fill your home with telephone bells at any time, day or night. But in exchange, your house got a common line in and out. In a small but important way, it emphasized the household as a unit, one with common interests, a hub through which contact with its members could be made.