29 Sep 1997
1992-1997 by December Communications, Inc. (john@december.com). You may use this document for any personal or educational purpose. For-profit distribution requires permission.
Provided ``as is'' without expressed or implied warranty.
PURPOSE: to list tools available on the Internet that are used for network information retrieval (NIR) and Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC). This is not meant to be a strict categorization or an exhaustive list, rather a reference catalog. I welcome comments and suggestions.
AUDIENCE: those getting started in understanding what you can do on the Internet in NIR and CMC; for experienced users, it collects and summarizes sources of information.
ASSUMPTION: You have access to and know how to use finger, ftp, gopher, http, telnet, email, World Wide Web, or Usenet newsgroups.
REFERENCES: The references which are listed at the end of this document provide very useful guides to these tools.
NOTES:
1. Respect your access privileges to these tools.
2. This information changes; additions/comments welcome.
3. For demo purposes, I have used Unix commands; certainly Unix is not the only operating system required for these tools and forums. Apologies to those who don't have Unix.
4. On the classification (NIR v. CMC): some tools could be used for either, such as telnet and email. I've placed them in what I feel are "principal use" categories, e.g., telnet is used mostly for NIR, and email is commonly used for CMC (although both have applications in the other category).
5. Many of these tools have applicability off the Internet. Usenet, for example, is not confined to the Internet, and Internet email (and thus LISTSERV files) can be exchanged with communication systems off the Internet (BITNET, fidonet, commercial services.) So this list is not Internet (only) tools, but tools that can be used on the Internet.
6. A $ sign indicates a non-public domain tool or interface.
7. The easiest way to use this list is to access the hypertext version at URL http://www.december.com/net/tools/1997/index.html
Information about updates to or different formats of this document:
This summary of Internet tools has been known worldwide since 1993 and is a collection of information sources about software used on the Internet for network information retrieval, computer-mediated interaction, and computer-mediated communication. A popular resource for Internet trainers and students to learn about the Internet, it is updated continuously. You can use this list for your reference.
These are some explanatory files for using this information and describing this project.
These are the other formats for this information.
Definition: Finger retrieves information about a user registered on a host computer.
Finger via gopher: gopher to HOST, port 79, path 0USER-ID (gopher://HOST:79/0USERID)
Definition: Netfind provides a simple Internet `white pages' user directory.
Definition: Nslookup is an interactive program to query Internet domain name servers (gives IP address).
Definition: Ping requests echo from network host; see if remote host is up.
Definition: The Internet Adapter (tm) $, allows you to use TCP/IP applications using a UNIX shell account.
This is classified as an "Internet access utility."
Definition: WHOIS provides information on registered computer network users, domains, and organizations.
Definition: X.500 (OSI Directory Service) provides globally distributed directory service.
Definition: Alibi provides a query interface to retrieve information by keywords
Definition: Archie locates files at anonymous FTP sites by filename (or string expression) search.
Definition: Astra retrieve documents from databases.
Definition: Bitftp allows the user to use electronic mail to obtain files at an ftp site via email.
Definition: Essence is a resource discovery system using indexes.
Definition: FSP is a connectionless protocol for transferring files.
Definition: FTP retrieves or puts copies of files at remote FTP sites.
Definition: Jughead collects searchable menu information from an individual Gopher server.
Definition: Knowbot provides a uniform interface to heterogeneous remote directory services.
Definition: Maltshop builds a veronica-access menu on your local gopher server.
Definition: Netserv is a server for access to data files and programs of general interest.
Definition: Soft Pages aids in retrieval of documents, software, and other resources from servers.
Definition: Spiders are a class of software programs that traverse network hosts gathering information from and about resources.
----- Lists, information and collections
The Spot for all Bots on the Net including 13 searchable bot classification databases, FAQ's,
Articles, Conferences, New Bots, Add a Bot, CommerceBots, NewsBots, SearchBots and more. Visit BotSpot of the
Week awarded by Team BotSpot (http://www.botspot.com)
----- A selected list of Web spiders:
Definition: Telnet allows a user to login to a remote computer to use applications.
Definition: Trickle is an electronic mail-based alternative to obtaining files at FTP sites.
Definition: Veronica locates titles of Gopher items by keyword search.
Definition: Alex provides transparent read of remote files at anonymous FTP sites.
Definition: GN is a multi-protocol (gopher0, http/1.0) server.
Definition: Gopher provides access to resources using a graph of menus.
Definition: Prospero provides user-centered view of remote files.
Definition: WAIS(tm) responds to natural language queries by searching indexes of databases and retrieving resources.
Note: As of spring 1996, WAIS, Inc. no longer offers services or products. There are probably some WAIS servers and sites out there; check the sources below for some leads; but expect these information spaces to eventually die out.
Definition: The WWW is a system for disseminating hypermedia resources through servers and retrieving hypermedia resources through browsers on global or local computer networks. Resistance is futile.
-----Overviews
-----FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list and answers about the Web--covers user, provider, and
general information, maintained by Thomas Boutell (http://www.boutell.com/faq/)
-----Access
-----Software
this is it--this is where you can get the latest on WWW browsers; includes news and rumors,
information about plug-ins, statistics, as well as a long list of browser, organized by the platforms they
support, with links to the support sites for each browser (http://www.browserwatch.com)
-----Developing Information
a summary of a methodology for developing a
web--includes planning, analysis, design, implementation, and development; The philosophy behind this
presentation is that Web development should involve more than just knowledge of HTML implementation or page
layout. Instead, developers can use a set of processes to take advantage of--and work with--the unique qualities
and characteristics of the World Wide Web using a variety of skills. (http://www.december.com/web/develop.html)
a well organized directory of information about web development, including reference lists as
well as original articles and commentary (http://www.webreference.com)
-----Navigating the Web
a geographic map to aid in locating Web sites and
other resources (http://www.vtourist.com/webmap/)
-----Forums, discussion, and news
This is only a partial list of interfaces for accessing information on networks; for longer lists of World Wide Web browsers, see:
this is it--this is where you can get the latest on WWW browsers; includes news and rumors,
information about plug-ins, statistics, as well as a long list of browser, organized by the platforms they
support, with links to the support sites for each browser (http://www.browserwatch.com)
Definition: Arena is a WWW broswer intended to test out HTML3.
Definition: Chimera is a HTTP, FTP, Gopher client with an X/Athena interface.
Definition: Cello is a DOS-based (Circa 1994) Internet browser incorporating WWW, Gopher, FTP, Telnet, News.
Definition: WinWeb (for Windows) and MacWeb (for Macintosh) are full-featured WWW browsers
Note: shareware, 30 day evaluation period.
Definition: Emacs is a WWW browser for use with the emacs text editor.
Definition: Hyper-G is a large-scale, multi-user distributed hypermedia information system.
Note: Hyper G is changing its name to Hyperware.
Definition: Hytelnet provides access to a database of Internet telnet connects through hypertext (on network or TSR for DOS).
Definition: Internet Explorer is a Microsoft's Web browser.
Definition: Minuet is graphical interface integrating email, gopher, telnet, Usenet news, and ftp.
Definition: Mosaic is a client for network distributed hypermedia information and discovery.
Definition: Lynx is an ASCII terminal browser for the World Wide Web.
Definition: Netscape is a WWW browser for MS Windows, Macintosh, and X.
Definition: a Windows-based graphical WWW browser which does NOT require SLIP or PPP or TCP/IP.
Note: restricted shareware
Definition: Willow is a graphical user interface to text-based bibliographic databases, WWW, and Z39.50.
Languages and systems to foster interactivity in networked applications.
Directories of interactive applications
These are Internet phone systems--could also enable group communication in most cases
Definition: A Chat system can be used for live discussion; some systems involve multimedia (text, audio, video, etc.).
Definition: Email allows a user to send message(s) to another user (or many users via mailing lists).
Definition: Talk provides real-time interactive text with another user.
Definition: Ztalk provides a low-bandwidth voice communication over tcp/ip networks.
Definition: Collage is a client/server group collaboration system which includes shared dialogue, text, and graphics spaces, from NCSA.
Definition: CU-SeeMe is a real-time, multiparty video-conferencing system for the Internet.
home page of the real-time, multiparty video-conferencing system for the Internet; by the CU-SeeMe
Development Team of the Advanced Technologies and Planning group of the Network Resources division of Cornell
Information Technologies in cooperation with the members of the CU-SeeMe Consortium (http://cu-seeme.cornell.edu)
Definition: A Haven is a network chat program that allows many people to talk to each other at once.
Definition: lily is a real-time text-based group conferencing system.
Definition: Listproc is a system that automates mailing lists and archives.
Definition: LISTSERV is a mailing-list program for group communication.
Definition: Majordomo is a mailing list manager.
Definition: Maven is a Mac-based audioconferencing tool.
MU = Multiple-User Dialogue/Domain/Dungeon and variants
Definition: MUs are real-time interaction systems (usually text) traditionally used for social role-playing.
Note: Variants include MUD, MUCK, MUSH, MUSE, MOO.
Definition: A MOO is an object-oriented Multiple User Dialogue (MUD).
Definition: Pow-wow allows up to seven people to chat; exchange files; and travel the Web together; works with Windows.
Definition: Procmail is a mail manager--create mail-servers, mailing lists, sort your incoming mail.
Definition: Web Interactive Talk is a means to create a shared discussion space in hypertext on a number of topics and threads.
Definition: Live (text) chat via the World Wide Web.
Definition: A Web World is a virtual community enabled by the interactive HTML Forms (Interactive Webbing, see below).
Definition: Yarn is a text-based networked meeting system.
Definition: Systems to present real-time sound broadcasts over the Internet.
Definition: Interactive Webbing gives people a common space for network distributed multimedia writing.
Definition: IRC provides real-time, many-many text discussion divided into channels.
Definition: ITR is an audio multicast on the Internet.
Definition: lily is a real-time text-based group conferencing system.
Definition: Mbone is a live audio and video multicast virtual network on top of Internet.
Definition: USENET provides asynchronous text discussion on many topics separated into newsgroups.
Definition: exMOO is a graphical user interface to a MU*
Definition: htMUD is a distributed graphical tinymud combining telnet and web forms client windows.
Definition: is a Winsock based MUD client.
Protocols and standards are the basis for operating tools and forums on the Internet. In this section, I summarize some sources of information about Internet and other protocols. Protocols associated with individual tools are listed with the tools above.
(http://www.bookwhere.com/z3950.htm)
The Guide to Network Resource Tools, Trans-European Research
and Education Networking Association (TERENA) (http://www.terena.nl/libr/gnrt/)
| 20 Dec 1997 | http://www.december.com/net/tools/1997/internet-tools.html |
| john@december.com | © December Communications, Inc. |