+ Page 4 + ----------------------------------------------------------------- Wiggins, Rich. "The University of Minnesota's Internet Gopher System: A Tool for Accessing Network-Based Electronic Information." The Public-Access Computer Systems Review 4, no. 2 (1993): 4-60. To retrieve this file, send the following e-mail messages to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1 or
[email protected]: GET WIGGINS1 PRV4N2 F=MAIL and GET WIGGINS2 PRV4N2 F=MAIL. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1.0 Introduction Late in 1991, a new creature began burrowing its way around the Internet. This new critter helps people browse many of the resources available on local campus networks or on the worldwide Internet. Called the Internet Gopher, this tool was developed at the University of Minnesota. Pioneering sites began deploying Gopher servers in December 1991. In the short time since, the Gopher system (henceforth called "Gopher") has been deployed at many institutions around the world. A worldwide community of "Gophernauts" has come into being, with various sites contributing ideas, utility tools, bits of code, and schemes for cooperative registry efforts. Gopher now accounts for a substantial fraction of the traffic on the Internet. Gopher servers are delivering text, index searches, still images, audio, public domain software, and more to users all over the world. With Gopher, a user can: o Find out what movies are playing in Aachen, Germany. o Learn what earthquakes took place yesterday. o Read today's student newspaper from a school 2,000 miles away. o Pick up a quote from Paradise Lost for a term paper. o Read the city council meeting minutes from Wellington, New Zealand. o Listen to the final U.S.