Telnet
Telnet is a legacy command line program used to connect to public servers.
Description
Almost all operating systems include a telnet client by default; however, no command line interface is quite the same as any other, and thus connecting through telnet to a server on different computers may cause strange results, especially if DECgraphics or IBMgraphics are used.
Telnet is not encrypted and transfers all information including username and passwords in plain text. It is highly recommended to use ssh instead, since all information transferred via ssh is encrypted by default.
After weighing the risks, you may connect to nethack.alt.org to play NetHack online by typing
telnet nethack.alt.org
Windows telnet
Newer versions of Windows do not come with telnet by default anymore, and while it is possible to install the program, most users will be better served by PuTTY, which can do both telnet and the more secure ssh and is more feature rich; Windows 11 comes with ssh preinstalled, which can be accessed through the command prompt.
For those electing to use the telnet.exe file from Microsoft, be aware that it defaults to ANSI terminal emulation that is broken, causing programs such as dgamelaunch to display incorrectly on the user end. To fix this, set telnet.exe preferred emulation to vt100:
- Start -> run -> telnet
- Press 'd' and enter to display the current settings. There should be a line that says Preferred Term Type is ANSI
- Type in set term vt100 and press enter.
- Press 'q' and enter to quit telnet.exe; the terminal type is saved automatically.
Telnet Ports
nethack.alt.org listens on the standard telnet port. However, some firewalls block low port numbers. You may also connect on port 14321 if you can't connect on the regular port.
