AppleTalk

AppleTalk was a proprietary used by Macintosh computers to make it easy to share files and to connect to network devices, such as printers, on a local area network (LAN).

Development
An earlier networking project for the Lisa called AppleNet had been cancelled in October 1983 after consuming considerable resources within Apple Computer. A simplified project, initially named AppleBus, was initiated within the Macintosh group as a lower cost method to network both Lisa and early Macintosh computers over the serial port.

Implementation
Local area AppleTalk networking was first introduced in 1985 as part of the Macintosh Office. This implementation, called LocalTalk, was connected through the built-in serial port for speeds of up to 230.4 kbps. AppleTalk file sharing was implemented through AppleShare. Apple subsidiary Claris also released a free utility called Public Folder in 1989.

Other implementations

 * EtherTalk allowed for a faster connection through an Ethernet port, though this initially required the use of third party cards until the feature became standard with the Macintosh Quadra series.
 * Netatalk, for Unix-based systems.
 * Miramar pcmaclan, for Windows.

Deprecation
The protocol has since been deprecated by Apple in favor of Bonjour.