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Communication software is used to provide remote access to systems and exchange files and messages in text, audio and/or video formats between different computers orusers. This includesterminal emulators,file transfer programs, chat andinstant messaging programs, as well as similar functionality integrated withinMUDs. The term is also applied to software operating abulletin board system, but rarely to that operating acomputer network orStored Program Control exchange.
E-mail was introduced in the early 1960's as a way for multiple users of atime-sharingmainframe computer to communicate. Basictext chat functionality has existed onmulti-user computer systems andbulletin board systems since the early 1970s. In the 1980s, aterminal emulator was a piece of software necessary to log intomainframes and thus accesse-mail. Prior to the rise of the Internet, computer files were exchanged overdialup lines, requiring ways to sendbinary files via communication systems that were primarily intended forplain text. Programs implementing special transfer modes were applied using variousde facto standards, most notablyKermit.[1]
In 1985, the first decentralized chat system was created calledBitnet Relay, whereasMinitel probably provided the largest chat system at the same time. In August 1988, theInternet Relay Chat followed.CU-SeeMe was the first chat system to be equipped with avideo camera.Instant messaging featuring abuddy list and the notion of onlinepresence was introduced byICQ in 1996. In the days of theInternet boom,web chats were also popular.
Chatting is areal-time conversation or message exchange that takes place in public or in private groupings calledchat rooms. Some chat rooms have moderators who will trace and block offensive comments and other kinds of abuse. Based on visual representation, chats are divided into text based chat rooms such asIRC andBitnet Relay Chat.[2]