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{{Short description|User account on a remote server}}
{{Refimprove|date=June 2009}}
⚫ ]

⚫ ]
] client running on a shell server]] ] client running on a shell server]]
A '''shell account''' is a personal account that gives a user access to a ] on a remote server, usually accessed through ] (and historically ]).{{Fact|date=July 2009}}


A '''shell account''' is a user account on a remote ], typically running under ] or ] operating systems. The account gives access to a text-based ] in a ], via a ]. The user typically communicates with the server via the ] protocol. In the early days of the Internet, one would connect using a ].
A shell account can be used for many different purposes because many different programs can be run on the shell. It might be used to try out another ], running ] clients or ], ] and run ] and ], to host websites, or to use ] services. It might be possible to run programs on the server even while not connected, using ] or programs such as the ] terminal multiplexer.{{Fact|date=June 2009}}


Shell accounts were first made accessible in the 1980's to interested members of the public by Internet Service Providers—such as ], ], ], ]—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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yossman.net/canweb/glossary.html |title=Glossary |date=December 29, 1996 |publisher=yossman.net |access-date=27 September 2010}}</ref><ref name=LJ1996>{{citation|title=Choosing an Internet Service Provider|journal=Linux Journal|number=24|date=April 1996|issn=1075-3583|author=Michael K. Johnson|publisher=Specialized Systems, Seattle, USA|quote=If you are comfortable with the command-line interface that ] provides, you will probably be comfortable with a '''Shell account''' on a Linux or ] computer managed by an ISP. Once your modem connects to the other modem and you log in, it is the same as an xterm session or a console login (without graphics capabilities) on your Linux box, except that the remote computer you are logged into is connected to the Internet. You usually use a standard Unix shell, with roughly the same choices available on your own Linux system, although some shell accounts also provide an optional menu interface similar to what a ] provides.|url=http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/1233}}</ref><ref name=LJ1994>{{Citation|url=http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/2832|journal=Linux Journal|date=October 1, 1994|author=Michael K. Johnson|title=For Internauts, finding a port of call can be a trying experience. I recently ran the gauntlet of choosing a commercial Internet access provider (do I have enough mixed metaphors yet?) and would like to share my experiences, both good and bad.|quote=The other day, I started shopping, both for a Unix shell account, and for a SLIP or PPP connection that allows my home Linux network to become a real part of the Internet.}}</ref> Before the late 1990s, shell accounts were often much less expensive than full net access through ] or ], which was required to access the then-new ]. Most ] ]s also lacked ] stacks by default before the mid-1990s. Products such as ] were devised that could work as a proxy server, allowing users to run a web browser for the price of a shell account.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lanet.lv/simtel.net/presno/sample2.html|title=The Web from a Unix shell account|quote=Until recently, if you wanted to use Mosaic for the World Wide Web, you needed a direct SLIP or PPP connection to the Internet. In many countries, such a connection costs a leg and an arm. Now, you can also use Mosaic if you connect to the Internet through a Unix shell account. The administrators may not even notice that you do.}}</ref>
Shell accounts are often subject to policies that limit different kind of resources, like disk usage (]) or ]. Some providers removed accounts that have not logged in for a long period of time. Some do not allow background processes or connections to ].{{Fact|date=June 2009}}


While direct internet connections made shell accounts largely obsolete for most users, they remained popular with some technically inclined subscribers.<ref>{{cite news |title=Core Fans of Shell Accounts Mourn Netcom’s Demise |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-oct-09-fi-33816-story.html |access-date=28 December 2023 |agency=] |publisher=] |date=9 October 2000}}</ref>
== Shell providers ==
This is a list of ''notable'' shell providers.


'''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 ], IRC clients, background processes, FTP, text editors (such as ]) and ]s (such as ]).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/07/14/159237 |title=Unix Shell Accounts? |author=Cliff |date=July 14, 2004 |publisher=aks.slashdot.org |access-date=27 September 2010}}</ref> Some shell providers may also allow tunneling of traffic to bypass corporate firewalls.
* ] - ] - Started in 1984, Sold in 1990 and then again in 1991.

* ] - ] (formerly ]) - Founded in 1991
==See also==
* ] (SDF) - ] (formerly ] on the ]) - Founded in 1987
* ]
* ] - Started in 1985 by ] and ], currently owned by the ].<ref>{{cite web
* ]
|url = http://www.well.com/conf/welltales/timeline.html
* ]
|title = A Timeline of the First Ten Years of The WELL
* ], one of the oldest and largest non-profit public access UNIX systems on the Internet.
|accessdate = 2009-02-04
* ], a ] application similar to The Internet Adapter
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
* ]
|url = http://www.well.com/conf/welltales/
* ] was a public access computer system in New York City in the late 1980s, known on Usenet as node dasys1.
|title = WELLTales
* ], a graphical application front end for internet access using shell accounts allowing TCP/IP-based applications such as Netscape to run over the shell account.
|accessdate = 2009-02-04
* ], best known for its Internet forums, but also provides email, shell accounts, and web pages.
}}</ref>


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}} {{Reflist}}


==External links== ==External links==
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Latest revision as of 19:06, 14 February 2024

User account on a remote server
irssi IRC client running on a shell server

A shell account is a user account on a remote server, typically running under Unix or Linux operating systems. The account gives access to a text-based command-line interface in a shell, via a terminal emulator. The user typically communicates with the server via the SSH protocol. In the early days of the Internet, one would connect using a modem.

Shell accounts were first made accessible in the 1980's to interested members of the public by Internet Service Providers—such as Netcom, Panix, The World, Digex—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 or PPP, which was required to access the then-new World Wide Web. Most personal computer operating systems also lacked TCP/IP stacks by default before the mid-1990s. Products such as The Internet Adapter were devised that could work as a proxy server, allowing users to run a web browser for the price of a shell account.

While direct internet connections made shell accounts largely obsolete for most users, they remained popular with some technically inclined subscribers.

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, IRC clients, background processes, FTP, text editors (such as nano) and email clients (such as pine). Some shell providers may also allow tunneling of traffic to bypass corporate firewalls.

See also

References

  1. "Glossary". yossman.net. December 29, 1996. Retrieved 27 September 2010.
  2. Michael K. Johnson (April 1996), "Choosing an Internet Service Provider", Linux Journal (24), Specialized Systems, Seattle, USA, ISSN 1075-3583, If you are comfortable with the command-line interface that Linux provides, you will probably be comfortable with a Shell account on a Linux or Unix computer managed by an ISP. Once your modem connects to the other modem and you log in, it is the same as an xterm session or a console login (without graphics capabilities) on your Linux box, except that the remote computer you are logged into is connected to the Internet. You usually use a standard Unix shell, with roughly the same choices available on your own Linux system, although some shell accounts also provide an optional menu interface similar to what a BBS provides.
  3. Michael K. Johnson (October 1, 1994), "For Internauts, finding a port of call can be a trying experience. I recently ran the gauntlet of choosing a commercial Internet access provider (do I have enough mixed metaphors yet?) and would like to share my experiences, both good and bad.", Linux Journal, The other day, I started shopping, both for a Unix shell account, and for a SLIP or PPP connection that allows my home Linux network to become a real part of the Internet.
  4. "The Web from a Unix shell account". Until recently, if you wanted to use Mosaic for the World Wide Web, you needed a direct SLIP or PPP connection to the Internet. In many countries, such a connection costs a leg and an arm. Now, you can also use Mosaic if you connect to the Internet through a Unix shell account. The administrators may not even notice that you do.
  5. "Core Fans of Shell Accounts Mourn Netcom's Demise". Los Angeles Times. The Washington Post. 9 October 2000. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  6. Cliff (July 14, 2004). "Unix Shell Accounts?". aks.slashdot.org. Retrieved 27 September 2010.

External links

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