science

LAN messenger

LAN messenger is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand LAN messenger rather than just read about it. In short: A LAN Messenger is an instant messaging program for computers designed for use within a single local area network (LAN). Many LAN Messengers offer basic functionality for sending private messages, file transfer, chatrooms and graphical smileys.

Key takeaways

LAN messenger belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect LAN messenger to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of LAN messenger from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A LAN Messenger is an instant messaging program for computers designed for use within a single local area network (LAN). Many LAN Messengers offer basic functionality for sending private messages, file transfer, chatrooms and graphical smileys. The advantage of using a simple LAN messenger over a normal instant messenger is that no active Internet connection or central server is required, and only people inside the firewall will have access to the system.

History A precursor of LAN Messengers is the Unix talk command, and similar facilities on earlier systems, which enabled multiple users on one host system to directly talk with each other. At the time, computers were usually shared between multiple users, who accessed them through serial or telephone lines. Novell NetWare featured a trivial person-to-person chat program for DOS, which used the [IPX/SPX] protocol suite. NetWare for Windows also included broadcast and targeted messages similar to WinPopup and the Windows Messenger service. On Windows, WinPopup was a small utility included with Windows 3.11. WinPopup uses SMB/NetBIOS protocol and was intended to receive and send short text messages. Windows NT/2000/XP improves upon this with Windows Messenger service, a Windows service compatible to WinPopup. On systems where this service is running, the received messages "pop up" as simple message boxes. Any software compatible with WinPopup, like the console utility NET SEND, can send such messages. However, due to security concerns, by default, the messenger service is off in Windows XP SP2 and blocked by Windows XP's firewall. On Apple's Mac OS X-based computers, the iChat program has allowed LAN messaging over the Bonjour protocol since 2005. The multi-protocol messenger Pidgin has support for the Bonjour protocol, including on Windows.

See also Comparison of instant messaging protocols Comparison of cross-platform instant messaging clients Comparison of LAN messengers Friend-to-friend IRC on LANs Talker Windows Messenger service

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with LAN messenger

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what LAN messenger claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to LAN messenger before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about LAN messenger ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of LAN messenger

In research: LAN messenger appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses LAN messenger in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: LAN messenger is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Internet culture, LAN messengers, Online chat, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for LAN messenger outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study LAN messenger in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what LAN messenger means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain LAN messenger out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is LAN messenger in simple terms?

Why does LAN messenger matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study LAN messenger?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on LAN messenger.