Internet Clients
Internet client software runs on workstations or shared host systems, and give you access
to the variety of services that are offered on the Internet. In general, they initiate a session
with a server, and then request and receive information, which is then displayed to the
user. There is fantastic growth in both the client technology and in the number and
sophistication of services. This is the exciting part of the Internet.
Many of the services that are found on the Internet are very old. Several date back to the
very early days of Unix. Of those that are still popular with the general public we find:
Telnet
Telnet provides terminal connectivity to a host computer. This is the essence of "time sharing"
as was used with the first multiuser computers. Where the very first time sharing computers
required users to have directly-connected teletypes or the video devices that emulated them,
the telnet facility permitted a connection over an ethernet or wide area network. Early users
could connect via modem, but each session required a dedicated serial port on the computer.
All telnet clients share the ethernet or token ring connection. Telnet sessions are originated
by the client software.
FTP
FTP, or the "File Transfer Protocol," added computer-to-computer transmission of data files
to the capability of the early Unix systems. In the early days, as now, there was substantial
collaboration between scientists and engineers, and the exchange of files was required. Today,
the availability of shareware programs on many archive sites keeps the FTP facility popular.
Archie
Archie is a newer protocol that builds on the notion of FTP-accessible archive sites. Archie
helps a user search the archive sites for the files or programs that are wanted. There are
very few Archie servers in the country, and they do an excellent job of directing users to
the information they need.
Email
Electronic Mail, or "email" has become a staple in interpersonal communication on the Internet.
This page was last modified on 29 September, 1995.
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