A LAN Messenger is an
instant messaging program for computers designed for use within a single
local area network (LAN).
Many LAN Messengers offer basics functionality for sending private messages,
file transfer,
chatroom
The term chat room, or chatroom (and sometimes group chat; abbreviated as GC), is primarily used to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing. The term can thus mean any technology, ranging from r ...
s and graphical
smileys. The advantage of using a simple LAN messenger over a normal instant messenger is that no active Internet connection or
central server is required, and only people inside the
firewall will have access to the system.
History
A precursor of LAN Messengers is the
Unix talk command, and similar facilities on earlier systems, which enabled multiple users on one host system to directly talk with each other. At the time, computers were usually shared between multiple users, who accessed them through serial or telephone lines.
Novell NetWare featured a trivial person-to-person chat program for DOS, which used the
PX/SPXprotocol suite. NetWare for Windows also included broadcast and targeted messages similar to WinPopup and the Windows Messenger service.
On
Windows,
WinPopup
Messenger service is a network-based system notification Windows service by Microsoft that was included in some earlier versions of Microsoft Windows.
This retired technology, although it has a similar name, is not related in any way to the la ...
was a small utility included with Windows 3.11. WinPopup uses
SMB/
NetBIOS protocol and was intended to receive and send short text messages.
Windows NT/2000/XP improves upon this with
Windows Messenger service
Messenger service is a network-based system notification Windows service by Microsoft that was included in some earlier versions of Microsoft Windows.
This retired technology, although it has a similar name, is not related in any way to the la ...
, a Windows service compatible to WinPopup. On systems where this service is running, the received messages "pop up" as simple message boxes. Any software compatible with WinPopup, like the console utility
NET SEND, can send such messages. However, due to security concerns, by default, the messenger service is off in Windows XP SP2 and blocked by Windows XP's
firewall.
On Apple's -based computers, the
iChat program has allowed LAN messaging over the
Bonjour protocol since 2005. The multi-protocol messenger
Pidgin has support for the Bonjour protocol, including on Windows.
See also
*
Comparison of instant messaging protocols
*
Comparison of cross-platform instant messaging clients
The landscape for instant messaging involves cross-platform instant messaging clients that can handle one or multiple protocols. Clients that use the same protocol can typically federate and talk to one another. The following table compares gener ...
*
Comparison of LAN messengers
The following tables compare general and technical information for a number of notable LAN messengers.
General information
Basic general information about the LAN messengers: creator/company, license/price, among others.
Operating system suppo ...
*
Friend-to-friend
*
IRC on LANs
*
Talker
A talker is a chat system that people use to talk to each other over the Internet. Dating back to the 1980s, they were a predecessor of instant messaging.
A talker is a communication system precursor to MMORPGs and other virtual worlds such as ''S ...
*
Windows Messenger service
Messenger service is a network-based system notification Windows service by Microsoft that was included in some earlier versions of Microsoft Windows.
This retired technology, although it has a similar name, is not related in any way to the la ...
References
Internet culture
Online chat
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