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Introduction

This document lists various internet clients.

HTTP

HTTP is a hypertext document protocol that is becoming the dominant standard for accessing the World Wide Web (WWW or just The Web). HTTP's standard document format is HyperText Markup Language (HTML).

HTML supports hotlinks to other HTML documents and to arbitrary data, such as bitmaps, movies, sound, etc. Some clients support displaying/playing this data internally, others require external utilities to be registered with the client in order to render this data.

Gopher

Gopher is another web protocol that is primarily text based. As such, Gopher clients tend to require fewer resources and run faster than HTTP clients.

Archie

Archie is a protocol that provides access to a distributed system of databases that track files located on the internet. This is invaluable for locating new applications, documents and data on the net.

Domain Name Service

To find out information about a internet site, several central databases are maintained to track names of hosts and by whom they are managed.

Finger

The finger protocol was designed to allow remote users to query a host to see what users were available on that machine. It can also be used to make general information available to those who wish to do a simple query of the machine.

Ping

The ICMP Ping protocol provides a means to verify that a given host is connected to the net. Most Ping clients also provide name resolution support as well.

NNTP, SMTP and POP

NNTP is the protocol used by newsreaders to read usenet news; SMTP is used to send mail; POP is use to get mail. Some clients only perform one or two of these functions; a few support all three.

FTP

The File Transfer Protocol is the standard means for transferring public files over the internet.

Telnet

Telnet is a terminal protocol that allows users to connect to internet hosts and communicate interactively, often to login to remote machines. Many telnet clients support connection to arbitrary socket ports, allowing interactive access to many internet services. Many tenet clients also support various terminal emulations, such as VT-100.

IRC

Internet Relay Chat provides a means for multiple people to remotely chat.

MUD

A Multi-User Domain/Dimension takes remote chatting several steps further. A mud provides a context for remote interaction; once logged in, users may move from room to room, exploring, interacting with other people and with objects in the rooms. Muds are generally text based, and support a large vocabulary of commands that enable participants to interact with the mud world.

Each mud is based on a theme; many encourage role-playing. Some are educational, some are theraputic; most are games. Muds often involve computer-generated participants, which are often made to appear like living participants.

Most muds provide a mechanism for gaining experience points on the mud. As participants gain points, they gain additional capabilities or priviliges on the mud.

Some muds allow players to attain the status of "wizard", which generally means that the player is able to (and is responsible for) building and maintaining new features on the mud, and sometimes policing the mud for violators of mud rules.

Muds come in various flavors: Tiny, Diku, LP, etc. The differences typically lay in the vocabulary and syntax of commands.

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