SLIP is an acronym for serial line Internet protocol. SLIP is the name for the earliest of two Internet standards – specifically, standards that determined how a computer could link to the Internet via a dial-up connection. The other equally early standard is called PPP and followed after SLIP. PPP stands for point to point protocol. SLIP defines the transport of data packets through an asynchronous (telephone) line.
Technipages Explains SLIP
SLIP enabled computers that weren’t directly connected to LAN networks to be fully connected to the Internet. By communicating with a native Internet Protocol, a computer could communicate directly with the Internet rather than having to run through a central computer connected to the network first. Thus, SLIP made it possible for personal computers to directly access networks. Prior to SLIP, the way to connect to networks was the use of shell accounts – dial-up connections that used a text-only system.
With SLIP, the use of graphical browsers (the type we use now) became possible, and although connections were still strongly limited by the available Internet speed and bandwidth, it was possible to run more than one Internet application at a time and to download data or files directly onto the computer. Before SLIP, they had to be stored on another device first, before they could be transferred.
SLIP is now outdated and only still used on rare occasions. The successor, PPP offers the same options, except with some added functionality that, all-around, made it a more attractive solution for connecting computers to the Internet. Authentication, error detection, error correction, compression, and encryption are some of the main features that were implemented with PPP – several of them are now staples of our Internet use!
Common Uses of SLIP
- SLIP protocol allowed connecting to the Internet via the now outdated dialup connections.
- The successor of SLIP is PPP – a superior protocol with more functions.
- SLIP made it possible to use the sort of browser we are used to, rather than simple text windows.
Common Misuses of SLIP
- SLIP is the name of a type of Internet connection.