Telnet was officially adopted as a widely accepted computer communications protocol in May 1983. It was created and implemented to allow servers and PCs to communicate through the creation of a widely deployed communication interface where commands that were issued by the host computer were sent across a link as simple, clear text. Communication links of the time were typically very slow. The servers receiving the telnet transmission would execute the commands, summarize the results, and transmit them back across the same slow link to the host.

In the early days of computer networking, bandwidth was afforded only at a premium. Its deployment was difficult, which required specialized skills. Telnet was able to minimize the impact and cost associated with this problem. Telnet allowed network managers to control devices remotely, and to run some simple applications across what could be hundreds or even thousands of...