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Internet Tools Summary: Notes Toward a Taxonomy
by John December (john@december.com); 11 Mar 1994Copyright (c) 1994 John December. You may use this document for any personal or educational purpose. For-profit distribution requires my permission. Provided ``as is'' without expressed or implied warranty.
THIS IS A DRAFT: I'm still working on this file.
There are many ways to look at Internet Tools. One can categorize them in terms of their function, use, channel characteristics, or other criterion. Foster (1993) gives the following categorization of NIR tools:
- Information Sharing (email, ftp)
- Interactive Information Delivery Services (Gopher, World Wide Web)
- Indexing Services (archie, Veronica, online library catalogs)
- Text-based Indexing Services (WAIS)
I think about Internet Tools in several different ways. One way is categorize them in terms of use, extending Foster's list to other tools and categories:
FUNCTIONAL (Primary Use) Breakdown
-
NETWORK INFORMATION RETRIEVAL (NIR)
- Utilities Finger Netfind Nslookup Ping White Pages WHOIS X.500
- Tools Archie Astra Essence Fsp Ftp Jughead Knowbot Maltshop Netserv Soft Pages Telnet Veronica
- Systems Alex Gopher Moo Gopher Prospero WAIS WWW
- Interfaces Biomix Cello Compass Emacs World Wide Web Browser HyperG Hytelnet Mosaic for X/DOS/Mac Lynx
-
COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION
- Interpersonal Email Talk
- Group Listproc LISTSERV Majordomo Moo MUD Procmail
- Mass Interactive Webbing (IW) Internet Relay Chat (IRC) Internet Talk Radio (ITR) Mbone Usenet
(My distinction between Group and Mass above is a closed-group versus open-group distinction as well as primary/cultural use.) Most problematic is my placement of MUD within Group and ITR within Mass. MUD involves cultural artifacts (objects) that are not possible within IRC--which is often used for broadcast, large-group purposes (e.g., L.A. Earthquake, Russian Coup).
I would make a 2D chart as:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHANNEL
CHARACTERISTIC Breakdown
(time v. Sender:Receiver group size)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1:1 1:M M:M
synchronous talk Mbone MU*
message IRC/Chats/*
asynchronous email Usenet(moderated) Usenet
LISTSERV(moderated) LISTSERV
WWW Interactive Webbing
ITR
most NIR(ftp,
fsp, gopher,
WAIS, etc).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Information Exchange
Another approach is to consider their essential information exchange function. Using the following system of notation:
NOUNS
A Application/software
C Client
F File(s)
H Host/computer
I Interface
G Graphical User Interface
L List
M Message(s)
R Receiver
S Server
U User/sender
VERBS
:= has read access only
== has read and write access
:: interacts with user interface (synchronous)
(()) sound in interface
* video interface
<- copys (over network) from
<-> copys (over network) to and from
<+ linked from
<= created by
[] contains
() consists of
CONJUNCTIONS
; and
NOUN PHRASES
S[F] Server containing file(s)
M(L) Message consisting of a List
S[U] Server containing users(s) = other users using this server
H[U] Host containing users(s) = other users logged into this host
NOTATION EXAMPLES:
File Transfer Protocol: U == F <= C <- H[F]; U => F -> C -> H[F]
Narration: The user gets read/write access to a copy of a
file that was copied over the network to a client
from a host containing that file. The user
can create a file, and use a client to copy it
over the network to a host.
Electronic mail: R == M <- H[M <= U]
Narration: The Receiver gets read/write access to a copy of
the Message that was copied over the network from
an (originating) Host on which resides the original
Message created by the User (Sender).
We might assign each tool with a set of symbols:
TOOL ACTION NOTATION
Alex U := F <- S[F]
Archie U := M(L) <= C <- S[F]
Astra U == M2 <- S[F] <- M1 <= U
Biomix U :: G
Cello U :: G
Compass
Essence
Finger U := M <- F <= H[R]
Ftp U == F <= C <- H[F]; U => F -> C -> H[F]
Fsp U == F <= C <- H[F]; U => F -> C -> H[F]
Gopher U :: I(L <- C <= S[F]); U := M <- S[F]
Hyper-G U ::*(()) G(L <= C <- S[F]..S[F])
Hytelnet U :: I(L <= C <- S[F]); DOS: U :: I(L)
Jughead
Knowbot U :: I(L <-<= S[F..F])
Lynx
Maltshop
Moo Gopher
Mosaic U ::*(()) G(L <= S[F]..S[F]); U := M <- S[F]; U :: I(L <= S[F])
Netfind U :: I(L <= S[F])
Netserv U == M2 <- S[F] <- M1 <= U
Nslookup U := M <= H
Ping U := M <= H
Prospero U := F <+ S[F]
Soft Pages
Telnet U :: I(L <= C <- H[A])
Veronica U :: I(L <= C <- S[F]); U := M <- S[F]
WAIS U :: I(L <= C <- S[F]); U := M <- S[F]
WHOIS U := M <= S[F]
WWW U :: I(L <= C <- S[F]); U := M <- S[F]
X.500 U :: I(L <= S[F])
Email R == M <- H[M <= U]
IW U ::== G(M <= C <-> S[F])
IRC U :: I(M <= C <-> S[R..R])
ITR U ::(()) M <- H[S]
Majordomo
Listproc
LISTSERV U == M2 <- S[F] <- M1 <= U
Mbone U ::*(()) M <-> H[S]
Moo
MUD U :: I(M <= C <-> S[R..R])
Talk U :: I(M <-> H[R])
USENET U := I(M <- S[F] <- .. <- S[F])
(to be continued)
WORKS CITED:
Foster, Jill. (1993). A Status Report on Network Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups. Uniform Resource Locator ftp://mailbase.ac.uk/pub/lists/nir/files/nir.status.report.