Traditionally a shell account was a user account on a remote server which gave you access to a unix shell via a command-line interface protocol such as telnet or ssh.[1] They were originally provided by ISPs (such as Netcom (USA) and Digex) and were used for file storage, web space, email accounts, newsgroup access and software development.[2][3][4]
In more recent times, shell providers are often found to offer shell accounts at low-cost or for free.[5] These shell accounts generally provide users with access to various software and services including compilers, IRC clients, background processes, FTP, text editor (such as nano) and email client (such as pine).[6][7]
Shell accounts have been involved in illegal activity, such as denial of service attacks or illegal software distribution.[8][9][10]
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