Shell accounts let you use the Internet the old-fashioned Unixy way

If you were lucky enough to have access to the Internet in the early 90s, it was probably through a Unix shell account via a dial-up modem. Most regular users have moved to direct internet connections, but you can still set up a shell account and there are some cool things you can do with it.

What is a Shell Account?

A shell account is what it sounds like: an account on a remote system that gives you access to a shell. You enter commands at the shell and get the output in the terminal like a terminal window on a modern Linux PC.

When ordinary people got access to the Internet in the early 1990s, it was the only way to get on the Internet. Customers used a modem and a communications program to log into a remote computer that was usually running a version of Unix. You could then access Internet programs such as email, Usenet or text mode web and Gopher browsers such as Lynx. This was because most home computers did not have built-in TCP/IP stacks like modern operating systems do. This meant they couldn’t connect directly to the internet.

You can see how ubiquitous shell accounts were in the early ’90s in this 1993 episode of The Computer Chronicles:

Dial-up via modem and terminal emulator was already common on PCs. This was already how people connected to services like CompuServe and local bulletin board systems. Anyone who wanted to surf the Internet in the early 1990s signed up with a local ISP and dialed in the same way they did with other dial-up services.

Even after the Internet became mainstream in the mid-1990s and PCs and Macs could dial directly into the Internet, direct dial-up connections were more expensive than shell accounts. This changed toward the end of the decade when dial-up became cheaper and ISPs began eliminating shell accounts. The new users did not want to use the terminal, and providers viewed shell accounts as a security risk because of the level of control they offered users on their servers, according to a 2000 Washington Post article about the pioneer’s decision -ISP Netcom, the terminal was mentioned to close shell accounts.

You can still find providers that offer shell accounts if you know where to look. Nowadays they use your existing internet connection via SSH instead of a dial-up modem.

What can you do with a Shell account?

While shell accounts aren’t nearly as common these days as they once were, they have a lot to offer serious internet users. Here are some of the neat things you can do with a Shell account.

Learning a new operating system

Maybe you want to try a new flavor of Linux or Unix, such as one of the BSDs. Or you are a complete Unix or Linux newbie. With a Shell account, you can easily try out a new operating system without having to install it on your computer or even download anything.

Managed environment

With a local installation of Linux or another operating system, you are responsible for maintaining the system, creating backups, and performing upgrades. With a shell account, this task is left to system administrators. This can take some of the burden off of you, allowing you to further explore the system and use its utilities.

Fun and friendly community

One reason to sign up for a shell account is that shell providers often have friendly user communities. Many providers have their own IRC, Usenet or bulletin boards where users can exchange messages. The users are typically other Linux and Unix enthusiasts. It’s just fun to hang out in these rooms.

Remote use of network utilities

Accessing a remote computer can be helpful in troubleshooting connection problems. You can run network commands like ping or traceroute on a shell account to find out whether a problem is affecting just you or the entire Internet.

e-mail

Many shell providers offer email with their accounts. They can be good secondary accounts or even primary accounts if you want to check your email the old-fashioned way. You can even use desktop clients on some of them.

Web space

Many shell accounts provide web space for their users’ personal homepages. If you’ve always wanted to learn web development, a Shell account might be a good place to practice. For this reason, when I was a student at CSU East Bay, all students had Sun Solaris-based shell accounts. I also had one on a CS server for a web design course.

Persistent sessions with a terminal multiplexer

Terminal multiplexers like GNU Screen or tmux shine for remote sessions. If your Wi-Fi connection is lost, you can reconnect and pick up where you left off. You can disconnect your session, log out and log back in later as if nothing happened. So many IRC users seem to stay online forever.

Development tools

Unix and Linux have long been great development environments. Many shell providers offer tools such as editors, compilers, debuggers and libraries. They are installed and managed for you, so you can concentrate on your programming tasks. It’s a great way to learn programming without having to worry about what to install.

storage

Many shell providers offer space for file storage. You can upload and download files to and from your account via FTP. This is also important when creating a website.

Choosing a Shell Account

If you want a Shell account, you can opt for a paid or free option. Panix is ​​an ISP that has been around for over 30 years and still offers paid accounts.

There are also free shell account providers that are run as a hobby and are a kind of throwback to the BBS era. Many of them are still accepting donations. As with public broadcasting, you can unlock certain functions through your donation. Good examples to try include SDF (disclosure: I am a “MetaARPA” member) and Blinkenshell.

Log in to your Shell account

Once you’ve signed up for your Shell account, you can log in via SSH using the username and password you chose during sign-in. On Linux, macOS, and Windows PowerShell or WSL, you can use the SSH command in a terminal:

ssh [email protected] 

You can also install PuTTY if you prefer a graphical client.

Stay online with a terminal multiplexer

As mentioned, if you want to maintain your session between logins, you can use a terminal multiplexer like GNU Screen or tmux. If you disconnect your session, you can leave it running and come back to it when you log in again. Because this can take up system resources, not all shell providers allow you to do this or only allow you to run persistent processes if you pay for the privilege. Be sure to check your provider’s terms of service.

With or without a terminal multiplexer, a shell account can be another text-based way to use the Internet.