Communication Software

What Does Communication Software Mean?

Communication software is an application or program designed to pass information from one system to another. Such software provides remote access to systems and transmits files in a multitude of formats between computers.Communication software forms a part of communication systems with software components classified according to functions within the Open Systems Interconnection Model (OSI Model). The best defined examples of communication software are file transfer protocol (FTP), messaging software and email.

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Techopedia Explains Communication Software

The concept of emailing can be traced back to the early 1960s as a way of communication for multiple users of time sharing mainframe computers. In 1970, text chat functionality followed emailing and appeared on bulletin board systems and multiuser computer systems. In the 1980s, the terminal emulator, a piece of software to log into mainframes and access email, was introduced. The first decentralized chat system was the Bitnet Relay of 1985. Minitel was yet another well-known chat system introduced at the same time. The CU-SeeMe chat system was the first equipped with a video camera.

Instant messaging, with buddy list and idea an online presence, was introduced in 1996. More recently Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is on the short list of popular communication software. VoIP allow users to make phone calls through the Internet at a convenient cost.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…