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Telnet
Telnet applications broaden your universe by connecting you to the vast expanse of Internet resources found in university libraries, databases, bulletin boards, and information catalogs. Of course, Telnet can also place you in virtual battle with bad guys in MUDS, Multi User Dimensions, and MUSHES, Multi User Shared Hallucinations.
How are these wonderful things accomplished, you ask? Well, after you make the initial connection to your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and launch the Telnet program, it establishes an interactive connection to a remote host computer. When you log on to this machine using a login ID and password, your computer emulates a basic terminal, and functions as if it were physically connected to the host computer. Once there, you have access to all of the publicly available resources. Some hosts require that you use their client software to get the most out of their site including full sounds and graphics, over the Telnet link.
If you don't already have a Telnet app on your system, you can surf on over to Tucows and get yourself a copy. Here you'll find freeware and shareware versions of Telnet apps for Windows 3.X and Windows 95.Telnet apps like EWAN and CommNet are easy to use and configure. For Macs there is BetterTelNet. Most of these apps are bundled with help files and FAQ's to help you get things started. Some Telnet apps have added features like drag and drop for uploading files, multiple Telnet sessions, phonebook directories, and support for VT100 and PC ANSI terminal emulations.