Gopherspace
_______________________________________________
|UCNS Computer Review |
|University Computing and Networking Services |
|University of Georgia |
|Computer Services Annex |
|Athens, Georgia 30602 |
|E-Mail: BITNET helpdesk@uga |
| Internet
[email protected] |
|_______________________________________________|
Newsletter: Fall Quarter 1993
Author: Albert DeSimone, Jr.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Assembling and utilizing the creative and technical energy to
conceive of and develop the Internet Gopher must have been an
exciting and challenging task for the University of
Minnesota's Internet Gopher Development Team. But with the
popularity of Gopher throughout the world, the team members
can certainly be proud of their efforts.
Gopher is information discovery/retrieval software currently
in use at the University of Georgia. You can use a Gopher
client (software that runs on CMS and CONTAC, DOS, Macintosh,
Unix, etc.) to connect to the UGA Gopher server and find out
what's for lunch at Bolton or Snelling, check out campus
events, connect to the UGA Libraries Online Catalog, search
and browse the UGA Policies and Procedures Manual, and check
out the Athens weather. And this is only the beginning.
Employing the computers and networks on the worldwide
Internet, you can navigate through UGA's slice of Gopherspace
to Gopher servers through the world.
The client/server protocol
Based on the client/server model, the Gopher client presents
you with a menued hierarchy of information items. The menu
and associated items are delivered to the client from a
Gopher server, a repository for the information you receive.
You can then select items from a menu to retrieve a specific
piece of information or a directory of related items.
How you select, retrieve, and search the items presented to
you by the server will depend on the client you are using.
This is truly the essence of a client/server protocol--a set
of rules which allows different computers and operating
systems to communicate with one another. A DOS client,
Macintosh client, Unix client, or CMS client all receive the
same information. The client, however, displays the
information items in a fashion suitable to the environment in
which the client resides. As an example, let's look at how a
graphical user interface on a Macintosh compares to a textual
user interface on CMS and CONTAC
(Figure 1).
Figure 1
The UGA Gopher Server Main Menu
As Presented by a Macintosh client
-------------------------------------------------------------
| File Edit Gopher Setup Recent |
||||||||||||||||||||| Home Gopher Server 1 |||||||||||||||
| Internet Gopher 1991-1993 University of Minnesota |
| |
| About the University of Georgia Gopher |
| Library |
| UGA Campus-Wide Information |
| UGA Departments |
| University System of Georgia |
| Weather |
| Worldwide Information |
| |
| |
| <== xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ==>|
-------------------------------------------------------------
Figure 1
The UGA Gopher Server Main Menu
As Presented by a CMS client
-------------------------------------------------------------
Rice CMS Gopher 2.4.1
GOPHER.UGA.EDU
1/7
(root menu)
<menu> About the University of Georgia Gopher
<menu> Library
<menu> UGA Campus-Wide Information
<menu> UGA Departments
<menu> University System of Georgia
<menu> Weather
<menu> Worldwide Information
1=Help 2= 3=Return 4=Print 5=Receive 6=Find
7=Backward 8=Forward 9=Bookmark 10=Booklist 11= 12=Quit
-------------------------------------------------------------
Navigating
There are several obvious differences in the two menu views
presented. Notice how the menu items, which are all submenus
(or directories), are represented as folder icons on the
Macintosh. The word "menu" represents the same item type on
the CMS client. With the Macintosh client, the mouse is your
primary tool for navigating through Gopherspace. The
keyboard performs the equivalent function when using the CMS
client. The Macintosh user would select the "Weather" item
by using the mouse to position the cursor on "Weather" and
clicking the mouse button twice. The CMS user would use the
tab key to position the cursor on "Weather" and press ENTER.
Each selection activity is endemic to the client's
environment and would yield the same list of related items.
Clients and servers
If ubiquity is a virtue, then Gopher is a candidate for
sainthood. Listed below are the more popular clients and
server. The majority of Gopher software is available at the
University of Minnesota's anonymous FTP site:
boombox.micro.umn.edu
in the directory:
/pub/gopher
In order to cut down on unnecessary network traffic, UCNS has
placed (and endeavors to keep in place) the most recent
versions of the more popular clients and servers on the
University of Georgia's anonymous FTP site:
ftp.uga.edu
The specific directory location for each file is included in
the description. Also note references to "Gopher+" in the
descriptions. Gopher+ is the next generation of Gopher
clients and servers (more on Gopher+ in the section
"Multimedia and Beyond with Gopher+space").
General requirements
Only computers connected to the campus network (and therefore
the worldwide Internet) can use Gopher. For those who are
not so fortunate as to have desktop connectivity to the
campus network, UCNS provides a Gopher client on CMS and
CONTAC. If you have an account on CMS or CONTAC, you can use
Gopher from there (regardless of how you connect). UGA
departments with Unix systems may also have a Gopher client
installed. Contact your departmental Unix administrator for
more information.
Network-related configuration
When configuring Gopher, there are a few bits of information
you will need to know. These include:
Gopher Server:
gopher.uga.edu
(This is the UGA Gopher server.)
Gopher Port:
70
(This is the port number for the UGA Gopher server. All
Gopher servers use port numbers for connections; 70 is
the standard port number.)
Your Computer's IP Address:
(You will have to know this. If you don't know, contact
your department's network domain liaison.)
Network Mask:
255.255.0.0
(The network mask relates to how the local area network
your computer is connected to is configured with respect
to the campus network.)
Name Servers:
128.192.1.9
129.192.8.4
(The first number is the primary campus name server. In
the event that the primary name server is inaccessible,
the secondary name server is used. Name servers allow
you to use descriptive names (e.g., gopher.uga.edu)
instead of numeric addresses to connect to other
computers on the Internet.)
Gateway:
128.192.1.1
(The gateway is a device which gives you access to the
rest of the world.)
IBM PC (and compatible)
DOS
Client: pcg3.zip
Support: cutcpi.zip
Available on ftp.uga.edu in the directory
/pub/doc/msdos. Retrieve files as binary. Use PKUNZIP
to unzip files. Server available on
boombox.micro.umn.edu.
PC Gopher III (a Gopher+ client) requires 640K RAM and
DOS 3.3 or higher. Clarkson (Crynwr) packet driver
required. The support file cutcpi.zip is Clarkson
University's Telnet/tn3270 package as distributed by
UCNS. This package (or an equivalent) is required for
using Telnet/tn3270 via gopher.
Documentation available in separate file (pcg3doc.zip)
on ftp.uga.edu in /pub/doc/msdos. Use PKUNZIP to unzip
the file.
Windows
Client: gobook11.zip
Available on ftp.uga.edu in /pub/doc/windows. Retrieve
file as binary. Use PKUNZIP to unzip the file. Other
Windows Gopher clients available at
boombox.micro.umn.edu. No known server.
GopherBook has not been tested by UCNS. Microsoft
Windows Sockets (Winsock) 1.1 and external TCP/IP stack
required.
Documentation included in distribution file.
OS/2
Client: os2gophe1_04.zip
Available on ftp.uga.edu in /pub/doc/os2. Retrieve file
as binary. Use PKUNZIP to unzip the file. Server
available on boombox.micro.umn.edu.
Gopher OS/2 has not been tested extensively by UCNS.
IBM OS/2 TCP/IP Version 1.2.1 (or later) required.
Documentation included in distribution file.
Macintosh
Client: turbogopher1.07.hqx
Server: goserver1.3.sit.hqx
Support: Telnet2.5.sit.hqx
tn327023d26.hqx
JPEGView20.sit.hqx
Available on ftp.uga.edu in /pub/doc/mac. Retrieve
files as text. Use BINHEX 4.0 to decode. Server and
support files must be unstuffed using Stuffit. The
support files Telnet2.5.sit.hqx and tn327023d26.hqx are
required for using Telnet/tn3270 via TurboGopher.
JPEGView20.sit.hqx is a recommended image viewer for
Macintoshes running System 7.
TurboGopher (a Gopher+ client) and the Macintosh Gopher
server are System 7 compatible but can be used on pre-
System 7 Macintoshes. System 7 recommended to take
advantage of advanced features. Suggested memory size
for client is 700K. Suggested memory size for server is
634K. Mac/TCP required for client and server.
Additional documentation provided with server
distribution.
Unix
Client: gopher1.12S.tar.Z
Server: included in above file
Support: freeWAIS-0.1.tar.Z
Xclient: xgopher.1.3.tar.Z
Available on ftp.uga.edu in /pub/doc/packages. Retrieve
files as binary. Use Unix utilities to uncompress
and untar files. Distributed as C source code which
must be compiled and installed. Gopher+ version of Unix
client and server (gopher2.x.tar.Z) available from
boombox.micro.umn.edu. Support file freeWAIS-0.1.tar.Z
used to build indexing capability into Gopher server.
UGA's primary Gopher server is a Unix Gopher server. A
Gopher+ server is used along with this server for
delivery of a few special items.
Documentation included with distribution.
CMS and CONTAC
Client installed by UCNS.
MVS (TSO)
Client currently being tested by UCNS.
Menus and files
When describing collections of items in Gopherspace the term
"menu" is synonymous with "directory." Within menus or
directories are related items. The most basic unit within a
directory is typically a file.
Figure 2 provides a view from the PC Gopher III (DOS) client
of the items available after selecting "Library" from the UGA
Gopher server top-level menu and then "UGA Library - GALIN."
The PC Gopher III client allows you to use either the mouse
or keyboard to select the item you want. The second screen
in Figure 2 shows how the document "About GALIN" would be
presented.
Figure 2
"Library/UGA Library - GALIN" Menu
As Presented by PC Gopher III
screen 1
-------------------------------------------------------------
| root level |
| File Window Configure 266616 23:15:38 |
| UGA Library - GALIN |
| -------------------------------------------------- |
| |<F> About GALIN | |
| | | |
| |<T> Connect to GALIN | |
| | | |
| |<F> Using GALIN Document | |
| | | |
| -------------------------------------------------- |
| |
|F1Help F10Menus Alt-XExit Alt-GNew Gopher Alt-ZCancel Query|
-------------------------------------------------------------
Browser View
Figure 2
"Library/UGA Library - GALIN" Menu
As Presented by PC Gopher III
screen 2
-------------------------------------------------------------
| File Window Configure 266616 23:15:38 |
| UGA Library - GALIN |
| -------------------------------------- |
| | | |
| | <F> About GALIN | |
| -------------------------------------- |
| About GALIN |
|GALIN is the Georgia Academic Library Information Network. |
|In addition to other online services, GALIN allows you to |
|access the University of Georgia Libraries' Online Catalog.|
| |
|To use GALIN with your Gopher, your Gopher must be able to |
|connect to GALIN using tn3270. After creating the |
|connection, position the cursor on the COMMAND line and |
|enter: |
| |
| DIAL VTAM |
-------------------------------------------------------------
| F1 Help F10 Menus Alt-X Exit Alt-G New Gopher |
| Alt-Z CancelQuery |
-------------------------------------------------------------
File Display View
Common to all Gopher clients are the two screens shown in
Figure 2. A Browser View allows you to select an item in a
menu and the File Display View presents the item selected.
In a graphical environment, these will appear as windows
which may cascade on the screen. When multiple windows are
displayed on the screen, you can use the mouse (TurboGopher)
to make any window the active window. PC Gopher III allows
you to use either the mouse or the keyboard to activate a
window. In a non-graphical environment, there is usually a
"Go Back" or "Return" key to navigate back through selected
menus.
Search Items for documents and document groups
One of the more powerful items available in Gopherspace is a
search item, usually indicated by the word "search" or a
question mark. Most search items in Gopherspace are provided
in conjunction with WAIS (Wide Area Information Servers),
public domain software generously offered to the Internet
community by Thinking Machines Corporation. WAIS is used to
create full-text indexes of documents and document groups;
Gopher provides easy access to these indexes.
When you select a search item, you will be prompted for words
that will be used to search a group of related documents.
Typically, you will type in the word or words that relate to
something you want to know more about, press ENTER, and wait
patiently for a list of related documents to be returned.
Here's how searching works. If you supply a single word as a
search request, a list of documents that contain that single
word will be returned. You are not, however, limited to
searching on a single word. Multiple search words can be
used. For all WAIS-based searches, multiple words (each
separated by a space) will return a list of documents that
contain either word. You will often see this relationship
between the multiple words referred to as an "implied OR"
relationship. For example, if you navigated through the UGA
Gopher server to the search item for issues of the UCNS
Computer Review:
UGA Departments -> Computing & Networking -> Newsletters ->
UCNS Computer Review -> Search the UCNS Computer Review
and then entered the search request:
macintosh ibm
the list of documents returned (about 60) would contain
either the word "macintosh" OR the word "ibm" OR both words.
Supplying search words this way expands your search.
You can, however, limit your search by connecting the two
words with the connecting term AND. If you entered the
search request:
macintosh and ibm
the list of documents returned (about 15) would contain both
the word "macintosh" AND the word "ibm." Supplying search
words this way limits your search. You can further limit
your search with the connecting term NOT, as shown in Figure
3.
Figure 3
Search Item for UCNS Computer Review
As Presented by Unix Client
-------------------------------------------------------------
UCNS Computer Review
1. A Look Inside the Front Cover.
2. Browse the UCNS Computer Review/
--> 3. Search the UCNS Computer Review?
+--------------Search the UCNS Computer Review----------+
| |
| Words to search for macintosh and ibm not software |
| |
| [Cancel ^G] [Accept - Enter] |
| |
+-------------------------------------------------------+
Press ? for Help, q to Quit, u to go up a menu Page: 1/1
-------------------------------------------------------------
The search request shown in Figure 3 would return a list of
documents (about 2) that contain both the word "macintosh"
AND the word "ibm" but NOT the word "software."
One important caveat. Not all WAIS-based searches in
Gopherspace allow you to use the connecting terms AND and NOT
to limit your search. While the UGA Gopher server does allow
the use of these connecting terms, you may encounter some
searches that only allow the implied OR search. If you try
to use the connecting terms AND or NOT on a search item that
does not allow their use, AND or NOT are ignored and an
implied OR is used.
After performing a search, notice the order of the returned
documents. The documents near the top of the list will very
likely be the better match to your search request. The
ordering is a product of "relevance feedback," which scores
the returned documents based on word frequency , word
position, and size of document.
Internet Duct Tape
Members of the Gopher Development Team have referred to
Gopher as "Internet Duct Tape"; others have described Gopher
as "a high-level networking tool." Two ways of saying
essentially the same thing, albeit the latter being a more
sophisticated phrase. From within Gopher's comfortable
environment you can use Telnet to connect to online library
catalogs all over the word; acquire documents and software
from archive sites; and search electronic phone books and
directories for individuals at universities, colleges, and
other organizations worldwide.
Telnet sessions
Telnet is a service which allows you to connect to computers
on the Internet using terminal emulation. Typically, you are
required to log into these systems as a validated user.
However, many colleges and universities allow you to access
library holdings via Telnet. The UGA Libraries' online
catalog (GALIN) is available from the UGA Gopher server in
the menu item "Library." Also notice that Telnet connections
to libraries through the world are also included in the
"Library" menu item.
Notes about Telnet sessions:
* Gopher Telnet items are indicated either by a word or an
appropriate icon. The word or icon may indicate a tn3270
connection. A tn3270 connection is often required for
connecting to IBM mainframes.
* Gopher uses the Telnet client on the computer you are
using to make the connection. When configuring some Gopher
clients you may have to specify the Telnet/tn3270
applications to be used. (PC Gopher III is an example.)
* CMS and CONTAC users should be aware that the Telnet
client available to them does not support terminal emulation
other than tn3270. If you attempt a Telnet connection to a
site requiring VT100 emulation (the most common), you may not
be able to function as well as you would like.
* TurboGopher (Macintosh client) requires System 7 or higher
for a smooth transition to Telnet/tn3270. You can still use
Telnet sessions on a pre-System 7 Macintosh, but you will not
be taken directly to the Telnet session.
FTP gateway
The file transfer protocol (FTP) is an Internet service which
allows someone using an FTP client to connect to an FTP
server and transfer between the two systems. Normal FTP
requires that you have an account on the server system you
are connecting to. Anonymous FTP is a special setup on the
FTP server which allows you to connect to the server without
having an established account. Gopher provides a gateway to
anonymous FTP sites.
Access to selected anonymous FTP sites is available on the
UGA Gopher server via the path:
Worldwide Information -> Internet - RFCs, Archie, FTP and
Veronica -> Connect to FTP Sites
At the end of this path is a list of anonymous sites. When
you select one of the sites, Gopher makes a connection to the
FTP server and displays a list of files that you can transfer
to yourself. Figure 4 presents an example listing of the DOS
archive site wuarchive.wustl.edu in the directory astronomy.
Figure 4
FTP Gateway to DOS Archive Site
As Presented by CMS/CONTAC Client
-------------------------------------------------------------
Rice CMS Gopher 2.4.1 GOPHER.UGA.EDU
1/29 More
(astronomy)
<document> 00-index.txt
<DOS> aa-51.zip
<DOS> astro20.zip
<DOS> astro202.zip
<DOS> b_star.zip
<DOS> cosmos16.zip
<DOS> dance13.zip
<DOS> de1181.zip
1=Help 2= 3=Return 4=Print 5=Receive 6=Find
7=Backward 8=Forward 9=Bookmark 10=Booklist 11= 12=Quit
-------------------------------------------------------------
Notes about the FTP gateway:
* Access to anonymous FTP sites via the UGA Gopher server is
currently restricted to Gopher clients on the UGA campus.
* Files at anonymous FTP sites will often be software and
other files that are ordinarily retrieved as binary. Gopher
recognizes these types and retrieves the file properly. In
general, files with the extensions .exe and .zip will be
typed as "DOS" or "PC" and retrieved as binary. Files with
the extension .hqx are special Macintosh files that are
retrieved as text. Other files many be typed as generic
"binary." While Gopher takes care of retrieving the files
properly, you will have to keep the type of transfer (either
text or binary) in mind if you move the file to another
computer.
* CMS and CONTAC Gopher users should pay special attention
to the "Receive" key. Use this key to retrieve a binary file
displayed in a list. There is no point in attempting to view
such a file. Many of the other popular clients --PC Gopher,
TurboGopher, and Unix--automatically retrieve binary files
when they are selected.
Electronic Phone Books and Directories
Finding people on the Internet is perhaps one of the more
interesting and sometimes frustrating tasks with which you
can be presented. The University of Notre Dame Gopher
provides a collection of online phone books and directories,
which you can access from the UGA Gopher via the path:
Worldwide Information -> Worldwide Phone Books and
Directories
You will notice one institution conspicuous by its absence in
this collection -- The University of Georgia. However, on a
more positive note, plans are currently in place to provide a
similar service for UGA.
Notes about electronic phone books and directories:
* Be sure to read the related "About" documents in the list
of items available in "Worldwide Phone Books and
Directories."
* Electronic phone books and directories are of several
different types. Some are based on CSO Nameserver (developed
at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign). This type
of electronic phone book will be indicated by an icon of a
phone book, the word "CSO" or the word "phonebk." Other
electronic phone books are based on WHOIS servers or WAIS-
based searches; these are indicated by the word "search" or
a question mark .
Multimedia and beyond with Gopher+space
As Gopher has developed over the past few years, so have the
information types supported. On some Gopher servers you will
find sound files, images, and even movies. With the advent
of Gopher+, these new types are being effectively integrated
into Gopherspace.
Appropriately enough, a picture is worth a thousand words
when describing Gopher+space (Figure 5).
Figure 5
Gopher+ Information on an Item
As Presented by Macintosh TurboGopher Client
-------------------------------------------------------------
|===================== GopherRock.ps =====================|
| +INFO: 0GopherRock.ps 0/Multiple Views/Short Document |
| About Gopher/GopherRock |
| hobbes.cc.uga.edu 9000 + |
| +ADMIN: |
| Admin: Albert DeSimone, Jr. <
[email protected]> |
| Mod-Date: Thu Sep 9 09:31:46 1993 <199309093146> |
| +Views |
| application/postscript En_US: <40k> |
| application rtf En_US: <5k> |
| Text/plain En_US: <3k> |
| +Abstract |
| This is a short paper I wrote in conjunction with a |
| presentation at the University System of Georgia Annual |
| Computer Conference -- known to all as the "Rock Eagle |
| Conference." |
| |
| It was a fine conference and a good time was had by all. |
| |
| Later ... |
| |
| bd |
| <== xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ==>|
-------------------------------------------------------------
As an extension to Gopher, Gopher+ supports:
* More compete information about a Gopher item. Notice in
Figure 5 that modification dates and sizes of particular
items are now included. Also included is the Gopher
administrator's name and e-mail address. (Item information
can be retrieved from a Gopher or Gopher+ server the same
way. See the documentation or online help that came with
your Gopher client for the procedure.)
Abstracts can also be included as a part of the item
information.
* Alternate multiple views. Everyone agrees that plain text
isn't the most preferred way to deliver documents. However,
it does represent the "lowest common denominator" in that any
Gopher client can adequately display text. Gopher+ provides
alternate views of such documents--including PostScript and
Rich-Text Format (RTF) in addition to plain text. The user
of a Gopher+ client can request that these alternate views be
listed and then request one of the alternate views from the
list.
Images can also be presented in this way. Multiple views
of a weather map could be available as a GIF, JPEG, or PPM
image.
* Electronic forms. Although relatively simple at this
time, it is possible to set up a Gopher+ item as an
electronic form. When this item is selected, a blank
electronic form is presented. Information provided on the
electronic form can then be mailed to the appropriate
individual or office.
A Gopher+ server is currently in use at UGA for delivery of a
few special items via the UGA Gopher primary server. This
server can be accessed directly if you would like to
experiment with some of the Gopher+ features. If you have a
Gopher+ client, set your Gopher to connect to:
gopher.uga.edu 9000
Gopher+ features can be found in the menu items "Multiple
Views" and "Newsletter Registration Request Form." Please be
advised that this is a test Gopher environment. Items are
subject to move around or disappear without notice. Access
to the test server is currently restricted to the UGA campus.
More information on Gopher
If you would like to learn more about Gopher, there is a
comprehensive guide titled Internet Gopher User's Guide.
Several copies are available at the UCNS Help Desk in the
Computer Services Annex.
Another excellent source of information is the USENET
newsgroup: comp.infosystems.gopher.
Gopher-accessible information, including an FAQ (Frequently
Asked Questions), is provided by the University of Minnesota.
This information is available via the UGA Gopher in the
"About Gopher at the University of Georgia" menu item.
