Communication software
software type
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 or users. This includes terminal emulators, file transfer programs, chat and instant messaging programs, as well as similar functionality integrated within MUDs. The term is also applied to software operating a bulletin board system, but rarely to that operating a computer network or Stored Program Control exchange.
History
E-mail was introduced in the early 1960s as a way for multiple users of a time-sharing mainframe computer to communicate. Basic text chat functionality has existed on multi-user computer systems and bulletin board systems since the early 1970s. In the 1980s, a terminal emulator was a piece of software necessary to log into mainframes and thus access e-mail. Prior to the rise of the Internet, computer files were exchanged over dialup lines, requiring ways to send binary files via communication systems that were primarily intended for plain text. Programs implementing special transfer modes were applied using various de facto standards, most notably Kermit.
Chat
In 1985, the first decentralized chat system was created called Bitnet Relay, whereas Minitel probably provided the largest chat system at the same time. In August 1988, the Internet Relay Chat followed.
The public source identifies “Communication software” as software type. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Communication, software and type.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Communication software”, the useful work is to connect “software type” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Oct 29, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q3635085. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1985 and 1988.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Communication software” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.