What is Appletalk?
When Apple introduced the LaserWriter it was a relatively expensive piece of equipment that could only be afforded by work groups. A method was needed to share this printer among multiple users. AppleTalk was created so that users could locate and access LaserWriters as a shared resource. Some models of the ImageWriter could also be accessed via AppleTalk. AppleTalk was included as part of the standard Apple system software and it made an attractive method for implementing other networking functions. For many years, TCP/IP was an add-on package to MacOS. Personal file sharing, introduced in System 7, used AppleTalk for sharing files over LocalTalk or Ethernet. Vendors implementing client/server applications used AppleTalk as a method for sharing information between computers. With the explosive growth of the Internet, TCP/IP became the de facto standard for networking. Makers of other networking protocols such as AppleTalk and IPX/SPX have been focusing on moving their support to TCP/I
Paraphrased from an Epson manual: AppleTalk is the local area network protocol developed by Apple Computer, Inc. as a standard for Macintosh computer communication. LocalTalk (or Ethernet) provides the physical link between devices and computers over the network. LocalTalk hardware is built into every Macintosh and Apple IIGS and requires the appropriate twisted pair cabling (four-conductor phone cord) to activate. Ethernet/Ethertalk is either built-in (on newer models of computers) or can be added via a card which plugs into an expansion slot in your computer.
