There's Gold in them thar Networks! or Searching for Treasure in all the Wrong Places
RFC 1402
Document | Type |
RFC - Informational
(January 1993; No errata)
Obsoletes RFC 1290
Also known as FYI 10
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Author | Jerry Martin | ||
Last updated | 2013-03-02 | ||
Stream | Legacy | ||
Formats | plain text html pdf htmlized bibtex | ||
Stream | Legacy state | (None) | |
Consensus Boilerplate | Unknown | ||
RFC Editor Note | (None) | ||
IESG | IESG state | RFC 1402 (Informational) | |
Telechat date | |||
Responsible AD | (None) | ||
Send notices to | (None) |
Network Working Group J. Martin Request for Comments: 1402 Ohio State University FYI: 10 January 1993 Obsoletes: 1290 There's Gold in them thar Networks! or Searching for Treasure in all the Wrong Places Status of this Memo This RFC provides information for the Internet community. It does not specify an Internet standard. Distribution of this memo is unlimited. Abstract A wealth of information exists on the network. In fact, there is so much information that you could spend your entire life browsing. This paper will present some of the "gold nuggets" of information and file repositories on the network that could be useful. The ultimate goal is to make the route to these sources of information invisible to you. At present, this is not easy to do. I will explain some of the techniques that can be used to make these nuggets easier to pick up so that we all can be richer. Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction................................................ 2 2.0 Lists and Indexes of Network Resources/Bibliographies/ Information Available over the Network...................... 7 3.0 Libraries Available over the Network........................ 14 4.0 Anonymous FTP Sites......................................... 14 5.0 Network Information Centers - NICs.......................... 17 6.0 Network Statistics.......................................... 19 7.0 Campuswide Information Systems - CWISes..................... 20 8.0 Internet Bulletin Board System/Interactive Databases/Freenet........................................... 28 9.0 WHOIS - E-mail white pages.................................. 32 10.0 Books....................................................... 35 11.0 Free Periodicals/Tabloids/Magazines......................... 36 12.0 Glossary.................................................... 37 Security Considerations.......................................... 39 Author's Address................................................. 39 Martin [Page 1] RFC 1402 Searching for Treasure January 1993 1.0 Introduction This paper is a list of the essential things, in my view, that a people who are responsible for providing network information should have in their hands as reference material. One of the basic problems with information is making it easily available to those who need the data. Libraries have been performing a cataloging function for many centuries. Information flow is now being provided so fast that it is difficult to keep up with it, even partially. Computer networks have only added to the problem by opening up access to even more information. Attempting to make this wealth of information available to those who would find it useful poses some problems. First, we need to know of its existence. To that end, this paper provides an index to the vast realm of network information. Most of the documents listed here are POINTERS to the final information. Second, even if you know of a document's existence, you may not know if it is important or relevant. Few of us are knowledgeable in more than a limited area. We need to rely on others to make us aware of the importance of databases in a specific discipline. Librarians can be of great assistance here. They are familiar with the research databases that individuals search in law, mathematics, and many other fields. Finally, once existence and importance are known, the information needs to be indexed so that researchers can find it. This is the most difficult task to accomplish. Information available on the network is rarely static. It is always moving, growing, changing, and dying. Computers should be able to assist us in managing this ever-changing environment. Right now, we have to catalog the information as it passes through the network. In my case, I generally save it in a file somewhere and spend far too much time trying to retrieve it again when I need it. 1.5 Access to the Internet A frequently asked question concerns how the average mortal gets access to the Internet. The most common way is via electronic mail. Using e-mail, it is possible to communicate with anyone on the Internet and on any other networks as well, and there are many "gateways" to the Internet from other networks and systems. For instance using CompuServe, a large commercial electronic information and communication service, you can send e-mail to and from individuals on the Internet. Martin [Page 2]Show full document text