Using Gopher to Navigate the Internet :: Internet World Wide Web WWW Protocol Gopher

GOPHER The Latest and Greatest on the Internet. In April 1991, Gopher was developed at the University at Minnesota Microcomputer, Workstation and Networks Center. It was created to help users fins answers to their computer questions. (Nickerson, 53) It didn’t take long for this utility to replace the existing campuswide information systems (CWIS) at the university AND to become one of the hottest Internet resources available. (Hahn, 429) Why is Gopher so Grand? This utility lets the end user easily locate information using keywords and phrases. In a few short years this has become the†most widely used searching tool on the Internet.† (Levin, 60) The annual growth rate for Gopher traffic is 997%! (Fun Facts, 50) Up until recently, this Internet protocol had been mainly used by the government and academics. But it has caught on and is being used for business and leisure purposes. If one is interested in the latest NFL scores, schedules and point spreads, they can easily access this information at News and Weather. Business administrators can learn more about total quality management (TQM) by visiting (Maxwell, 299 and 670) What is Gopher? The official definition of Gopher helps to explain what this utility is, â€Å" The Internet Gopher uses a simple client/server protocol that can be used to publish and search for information held on a distributed network of hosts. Gopher clients have a seamless view of the information in the Gopher world even though the information is distributed over many different hosts. Clients can navigate through a hierarchy of directories and documents [menus] or ask an index server to return a list of documents that contain one or more words. Because the index does full-text searches, every word in every document is a keyword.†(Milewski, 41) Using the client/server architecture is advantageous because the two connecting machines need to communicate with one another for a very short time. The server shuts down the connection once it has sent out the file to the client. (Notess, 101) Gopher is an attractive Internet search tool because it allows the user to traverse the network with one simple interface. Via Gopher, the neophyte can access more difficult Internet protocols, such as telnet, FTP, and email, in a seamless fashion. The end user can effortlessly select an FTP site from a menu and not have to remember the cumbersome FTP syntax or lengthy addresses. Accessing Gopher To access Gopher you need Internet access. To start, dial into an Internet-connected computer and type in gopher at the systems prompt. Using Gopher to Navigate the Internet :: Internet World Wide Web WWW Protocol Gopher GOPHER The Latest and Greatest on the Internet. In April 1991, Gopher was developed at the University at Minnesota Microcomputer, Workstation and Networks Center. It was created to help users fins answers to their computer questions. (Nickerson, 53) It didn’t take long for this utility to replace the existing campuswide information systems (CWIS) at the university AND to become one of the hottest Internet resources available. (Hahn, 429) Why is Gopher so Grand? This utility lets the end user easily locate information using keywords and phrases. In a few short years this has become the†most widely used searching tool on the Internet.† (Levin, 60) The annual growth rate for Gopher traffic is 997%! (Fun Facts, 50) Up until recently, this Internet protocol had been mainly used by the government and academics. But it has caught on and is being used for business and leisure purposes. If one is interested in the latest NFL scores, schedules and point spreads, they can easily access this information at News and Weather. Business administrators can learn more about total quality management (TQM) by visiting (Maxwell, 299 and 670) What is Gopher? The official definition of Gopher helps to explain what this utility is, â€Å" The Internet Gopher uses a simple client/server protocol that can be used to publish and search for information held on a distributed network of hosts. Gopher clients have a seamless view of the information in the Gopher world even though the information is distributed over many different hosts. Clients can navigate through a hierarchy of directories and documents [menus] or ask an index server to return a list of documents that contain one or more words. Because the index does full-text searches, every word in every document is a keyword.†(Milewski, 41) Using the client/server architecture is advantageous because the two connecting machines need to communicate with one another for a very short time. The server shuts down the connection once it has sent out the file to the client. (Notess, 101) Gopher is an attractive Internet search tool because it allows the user to traverse the network with one simple interface. Via Gopher, the neophyte can access more difficult Internet protocols, such as telnet, FTP, and email, in a seamless fashion. The end user can effortlessly select an FTP site from a menu and not have to remember the cumbersome FTP syntax or lengthy addresses. Accessing Gopher To access Gopher you need Internet access. To start, dial into an Internet-connected computer and type in gopher at the systems prompt.