Archie is a special service that keeps file listings from over 1200 different FTP sites. To use Archie, telnet to an Archie server and login with username archie . There are lots of options available, and you can use the help command find out how Archie works. The following is a partial list of Archie servers that you can connect to by telnet. As with FTP there are Archie client programs that make Archie searching very easy.
Gopher is smart enough to know which application to use to get a particular resource of interest.
Using Gopher you can wander all over the world looking at various resources without needing to know where you are. Gopher is difficult to explain but easy to use. For example telnet to info.anu.edu.au with login name info to connect to the ANU Gopher server. After you hit return you will see a menu with 16 choices. Arrow down to choose one of these and hit return to start exploring through Gopherspace.