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Cookies were introduced by Netscape to preserve client state
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For a CGI script servicing several clients (ordering T-shirts perhaps), it is useful for the client (not server) to store information such as name of user, passwords, etc.
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Traditionally, state variable were passed using "hidden" fields:
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<INPUT type="hidden" name="user" value="">
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formname.user.value = WHATHAVEYOU;
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Such hidden fields are passed to CGI scripts in same fashion as other variables set in text fields, etc.
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Hidden values can either by set by JavaScript on the client or embedded into a page constructed by a CGI script, which might read N values and return a new form with M new fields and N old entries preserved in hidden fields
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So hidden variables are nice but only preserved as long as you stick to page you started with or returned by CGI script
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