Internet protocols: HTTP, FTP, Gopher, and Telnet explained

Internet Protocols

The internet is more than what it appears to many of its users. The World Wide Web is the standard and most popular method or protocol of acquiring information off the interconnectivity that the internet provides. The purpose of this essay is to define an internet protocols and give examples of several different types and the advantages and disadvantages they provide for myself and other users of this technology.

HTTP stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol and is most likely the most commonly used but least understood of all the internet protocols in use today. This protocol allows web servers to display their information and data to other remote computers. Addresses are used to route and direct communication.

FTP

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is method of transferring files from computer to computer has its own unique rules and methods of use. This protocol allows a user to remotely log on to a computer, search and indentify important files and either download those files or add new files to the ones in existence. This protocol does have its restrictions. A user cannot actually look at the file itself before downloading it. This protocol is used in many applications where a web browser will ask the user if it desires to download this file? The file is presented with a title and extension, but previewing of this type of file is not allowed in this type of protocol.

Gopher

Gopher is another protocol that can assist users in browsing for information. This protocol is menu based and works like a map. Files in this protocol are organized in a hierarchical manner and are located by file names with some actual data available unlike FTP. Gopher is rarely seen in my browsing use, but on occasion old sites will have some of these ordered sets of information that are quick to retrieve and easy to navigate in my opinion.

Telnet

Telnet is a powerful and useful internet protocol that makes very good use of the power of technology. Remoteness is a key component of Telnet protocol as this system of programming allows the user to log in to any computer just as if you were at that physical location of the actual computer being accessed. This type of protocol usually requires special kinds of software to make full use of this method.

Conclusions

There are many more protocols that are being developed routinely which will soon outdate and make these systems mention above obsolete. Protocols themselves are simply laws and rules that act for specific functions. When these specific computing functions themselves become obsolete, the protocol associated with that function will most likely fade as well. Opposite to that fact is the idea that protocols will always be needed to help explore the potentials of the interconnectivity that the internet provides.