Finger: the 1971 social network that never died

Finger: Social network that never died

Finger, a 1971 protocol for sharing plain-text status files, predates modern social networks by decades. It powered John Carmack's .plan, the first IoT device (a Coke machine), and still works today. Despite a security flaw that led to its decline, it's experiencing a revival with modern implementations like Happy Net Box and Finger.Farm. This article explores its history, how it works, and how to get started.