.bitnet
Encyclopedia
.bitnet was a pseudo-domain-style suffix used in the late 1980s when identifying a hostname not connected directly to the Internet
but possibly reachable through inter-network gateways. In this case, it indicated that the hostname preceding it was reachable via the BITNET
network. This was one of several apparent "top-level domains" that were not actually in the Internet Domain Name System
(DNS) root, but were sometimes used in addresses during the time when non-Internet networks remained in wide use.
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
but possibly reachable through inter-network gateways. In this case, it indicated that the hostname preceding it was reachable via the BITNET
BITNET
BITNET was a cooperative USA university network founded in 1981 by Ira Fuchs at the City University of New York and Greydon Freeman at Yale University...
network. This was one of several apparent "top-level domains" that were not actually in the Internet Domain Name System
Domain name system
The Domain Name System is a hierarchical distributed naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities...
(DNS) root, but were sometimes used in addresses during the time when non-Internet networks remained in wide use.