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What tasks could ARPANET users perform when the network first began?

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When the ARPANET first began, users were limited to three specific tasks:

  • Logging into a remote computer1
  • Printing to a remote printer1
  • Transferring files between computers1

These capabilities were established during the network's earliest phase, shortly after the first packet-switched message was sent between computers in 1969. As the network evolved, it became a test bed for further innovations, eventually leading to the development of more advanced applications such as e-mail and file transfer protocol.12