This article describes the process of getting Archie back up and running, the first-ever search engine created in 1989 to index FTP servers, which became the harbinger of the modern Internet.
Internet Archive
Revival of a search pioneer
YouTube channel The Serial Port discovered one of the latest working copies of Archie, the first search engine developed in 1989 by Alan Emtage, a student at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. This revolutionary tool made it possible to search FTP servers, which at the time constituted a rudimentary network of universities, research centers, government and military organizations - the forerunner of the modern Internet.
Contribution to the development of the Network
Despite the fact that Archie was subsequently supplanted by Gopher systems , web portals and modern search engines, it played an important role in indexing FTP servers and deserves to be preserved as part of Internet history. The Serial Port conducted a detailed study and made a video about finding and working with this program.
The difficult path to recovery
According to an interview with Emtedj, he sent a copy of Archie on magnetic tape at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, but it was impossible to restore it. Bunyip Information Systems, a company founded by Emtej, sold version 3.5 of the Archie server software for $6,000 in the mid-1990s (about $12,000 in today's dollars), but it couldn't be found online. After much searching, the creators of The Serial Port were able to discover a working copy of the Archie code.
New Life for a Pioneer
The Serial Port not only saved the last working version of Archie (it was beta 3.5), but also published its documentation. They have now run a production Archie server on an emulated Sun SPARCstation 5. Alan Emtage, who contributed to the creation of the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) standard, has given his blessing to the channel's efforts to restore and preserve the Archie server code.
Glossary
- Archie is the first ever search engine, created in 1989 to index FTP servers.
- FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a file transfer protocol, one of the oldest Internet protocols, used for exchanging files between computers.
- Gopher is an information system, the predecessor of the World Wide Web, that allows you to find and view documents over the Internet.
- Alan Emtage is a Canadian programmer, creator of the first search engine Archie and one of the developers of the URL standard.
- URL (Uniform Resource Locator) - a universal resource identifier used to indicate the location of resources on the Internet.
Links
Answers to questions
What is Archie and who created it?
What is Archie's significance in the history of the Internet?
How did YouTubers manage to restore Archie?
What role did Alan Emtage play in the restoration of Archie?
What was Archie's commercial fortunes?
Hashtags
Save a link to this article
Discussion of the topic – History Archive: YouTubers revived Archie - the first Internet search engine
The Serial Port team has restored and launched the first search engine, Archie, created in 1989. This historical moment demonstrates the roots of the modern Internet and its first tools.
Latest comments
8 comments
Write a comment
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are checked *
Евгений
It's great that we were able to find and restore the old Archie search engine! 🤓 It’s interesting to see how Google’s predecessors worked.
Лариса
It's a pity that such old programs are lost over time. It’s good that there were enthusiasts who preserved Archie for history. 💾 It paved the way for modern web search!
Михаил
Yes, in the 90s everything was different. $6000 for a program – no one will pay that kind of money now. 💰 Although Archie was an innovator in his own way.
Грегор
Personally, I don’t understand why this old search engine is being restored. 😒 Now there are much more advanced solutions. Archie is a relic of the past, forgotten for good reason.
Анна
And it seems to me that the preservation of programs like Archie is very important for understanding the history of the development of the Internet. 💻 He was a pioneer in the field of search!
Франц
I agree, this is a kind of archeology of the Internet. 🧭 It’s interesting to see how it all began. And Archie might give you ideas for new search algorithms!
Грегор
Ugh, what nonsense. 🙄 It would be better to spend your energy on something really useful, rather than digging through old trash.
Дарья
Don't be such a skeptic, Gregor! 😄 Studying the origins of Internet search is a very fascinating topic. And the work of enthusiasts deserves respect.