Gopher menus not only list information on gopher servers, but they may also include items from other Internet information systems such as WAIS index searches or telnet sessions. Gopher menus present an integrated and consistent interface to information located on many different Internet servers. Back up to menu Access Like WWW and other Internet tools, gopher is a client-server system. Gopher information is held by gopher servers, and is accessed by clients using the gopher protocol. Dedicated gopher client software may be used, but currently the most common route of access is via a WWW browser which uses the gopher protocol, e.g. Netscape, Internet Explorer.
Some sites make plain terminal-based gopher clients available for public use.
These can be accessed via telnet. Terminal Based Information Gopher information can also be accessed by e-mail through the gateway service. Back up to menu Coverage With the advance of the WWW, gopher's use has declined dramatically. There were previously hundreds of gopher servers worldwide registered and listed by the Gopher Consultant Service at the University of Minnesota's Computer and Information Services Department. But visiting gopherspace now is like straying into the land that time forgot, and though there is the occasional currently maintained gopher server, many are no longer operational.