An Introduction to Research Processes

Back to Finding Sources on the Internet

The World Wide Web makes it easy to view formatted text, full-color graphics, audio, and video on your computer, regardless of where the document is located on the Internet. But the Web is a relatively recent development in the history of the Internet. Before the Web was developed, the easiest way to view information on the Internet was through a system called Gopher, which allows you to read unformatted (or plain) text documents on computers connected to the Internet. Although the Web has eclipsed Gopher as the method of choice for viewing information on the Internet, you can still find a great deal of useful information only on Gopher.

To read more about using Gopher, view our unit on Using Other Internet Resources.