What is Gopher, and how do I access it?

Note: The software discussed here is no longer in common use at Indiana University, and UITS may no longer be able to verify the document's accuracy. The UITS Support Center may no longer have the manuals and other materials required to support this software adequately.

Developed at the University of Minnesota, Gopher is a system for delivering documents over the Internet. It is organized in a hierarchical series of directories and objects that you can browse. Gopher servers link to one another, creating a unified Gopherspace through which you can navigate freely. An indirect precursor of the World Wide Web, Gopher has largely been supplanted by its more flexible descendant.

While there are several Gopher clients available for use, you can access all Gopher services through the World Wide Web. Using a web browser rather than a Gopher client will not only allow you to access Gopher links, but will also offer you the wide range of services on the web that are unavailable in Gopher. For a technical description of Gopher, read RFC 1436 at: ftp://ftp.isi.edu/in-notes/rfc1436.txt Also, consult the newsgroups comp.infosystems.gopher and alt.gopher.