The Internet protocol used to create a connection with a remote computer enabling a user to work on a distant computer as if his or her terminal was directly connected. The acronym stands for Wide Area Information Server. WIAS is the brainchild of Brewster Kahle, the designer of massively parallel supercomputing Thinking Machines. It is a way to search through huge amounts of information easily. WAIS databases are now widespread throughout the Internet.
Gopher is a great way to browse through lost of information.
It is like the table of contents of a book. WAIS is like a book's index. Gopher and WAIS complement one another as you search the Internet for topics of interest.