A shell account is a user account on a remote server, traditionally running under the Unix operating system, which gives access to a

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...

via a command-line interface protocol such as telnet,

SSH The Secure Shell Protocol (SSH) is a cryptographic network protocol for operating network services securely over an unsecured network. Its most notable applications are remote login and command-line execution. SSH applications are based on ...

, or over a

modem A modulator-demodulator or modem is a computer hardware device that converts data from a digital format into a format suitable for an analog transmission medium such as telephone or radio. A modem transmits data by Modulation#Digital modulati ...

using a

terminal emulator A terminal emulator, or terminal application, is a computer program that emulates a video terminal within some other display architecture. Though typically synonymous with a shell or text terminal, the term ''terminal'' covers all remote termin ...

. Shell accounts were made first accessible to interested members of the public by Internet Service Providers (such as

Netcom (USA) NETCOM On-Line Communication Services, Inc. was an Internet service provider headquartered in San Jose, California. Early history Netcom was established in 1988 by Bob Rieger, an information systems engineer for Lockheed and Bill Gitow of Syst ...

, Panix,

The World In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

and

Digex Digex, Inc. was one of the first Internet service providers in the United States. During the dot-com bubble, its stock price rose to $184 per share; the company was acquired for $1 per share a few years later. History Digital Express Group, pred ...

), although in rare instances individuals had access to shell accounts through their employer or university. They were used for file storage, web space, email accounts, newsgroup access and software development. Before the late 1990s, shell accounts were often much less expensive than full net access through

SLIP Slip or SLIP may refer to: Science and technology Biology * Slip (fish), also known as Black Sole * Slip (horticulture), a small cutting of a plant as a specimen or for grafting * Muscle slip, a branching of a muscle, in anatomy Computing and ...

or PPP, which was required to access the then-new

World Wide Web The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet. Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through web se ...

. Most

personal computer A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...

operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also in ...

s also lacked

TCP/IP The Internet protocol suite, commonly known as TCP/IP, is a framework for organizing the set of communication protocols used in the Internet and similar computer networks according to functional criteria. The foundational protocols in the suit ...

stacks by default before the mid-1990s. Products such as

The Internet Adapter The Internet Adapter (TIA) was software created by Cyberspace Development in 1993 to allow Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) connections over a shell account. Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) was added in 1995, by which time the software was mark ...

were devised that could work as a proxy server, allowing users to run a web browser for the price of a shell account. Shell providers are often found to offer ''shell accounts'' at low-cost or free. These ''shell accounts'' generally provide users with access to various software and services including

compilers In computing, a compiler is a computer program that translates computer code written in one programming language (the ''source'' language) into another language (the ''target'' language). The name "compiler" is primarily used for programs that ...

, IRC clients, background processes, FTP, text editors (such as nano) and

email client An email client, email reader or, more formally, message user agent (MUA) or mail user agent is a computer program used to access and manage a user's email. A web application which provides message management, composition, and reception functio ...

s (such as

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

). Some shell providers may also allow tunneling of traffic to bypass corporate firewalls.

References

External links

Shell providers list
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shell Account Internet hosting * Unix

See also

References

External links