Electronic Mail

The Postal Delivery System of Cyberspace

E-mail's ability to transfer information to other people quickly and easily, combined with its speed relative to regular postal delivery, has made it so popular that it's the most widely used application on the Internet. Here's how to enjoy it, no matter which operating system you're using.

It's Friday afternoon, and you've finally finished that dense proposal. You're printing the file from your PC when the phone rings. It's your boss, asking you to send a copy to the New York office, as well as provide the word processing file, "so they can add it to their own information by Monday." You hang up the phone and groan, glancing at the clock: five to five. It's going to be another Friday night of work because you'll have to break your graphic-laden proposal into disk-sized chunks, then annotate it so someone else can piece it together again. You slump at your computer, and almost wish you lived in New Jersey. At least then you could drive it over.

If you and your New York office both had access to the Internet, though, you could simply send your file and text comments over the Internet via e-mail, short for electronic mail. And the Internet doesn't limit you to intercompany network connections. Because it is so vast, and not owned by any company or institution, you can send and receive information to and from anyone on the Internet.

The great advantage of e-mail, at least relative to snail mail, is speed. But that's not the only reason for using e-mail. The abilities to send information without having to print it first and to use received data whenever you like have helped to make e-mail the most popular application on the Internet. Even if you don't have an Internet account, you can use e-mail if you subscribe to any of the major online service providers.

First Things First

Regardless of how you connect to the Internet, the first thing you need to know about e-mail is that everyone on the Internet has an address. Let's say the (fictitious) International Networks Inc. supplies you with an account. You connect to a computer called intnet.com. If your name is Jane Smith, your user name (or user ID) might be jsmith. In this example, your address is the combination of your user name and your machine name: jsmith@intnet.com. The placement of the @ sign and the period are important, so be sure you type them correctly. Remember, too, that most Internet information is case-sensitive, so don't capitalize names automatically.

Once you know someone's address, start your e-mail program. Depending on your Internet provider, it could range from an easy-to-use program for PCs to cumbersome UNIX commands. If you connect to the Internet with a terminal emulator (meaning your screen is all text and you have to type commands), there are two ways to send mail. The first is through the UNIX mail command. Forget this, unless you are a masochist. The other is to use a mail program like Pine.

You Send Me?

To send mail in Pine, type C (for compose) at the first screen. You'll see a screen that looks like a memo form. On the bottom of the screen are options to help you compose your message, as well as general program help. Remember, though, that when you see a command like ^G (Get Help) in Pine, it means that you have to hold down the Ctrl key on your PC keyboard while you press the appropriate letter.

If you want to send someone a computer file, type the name of the file at the Attchmnt line. If the file is still on your PC, you'll need to send it to your Internet account first, using the Z-Modem protocol if possible.

To save time, you can create nicknames for people to whom you send mail frequently. From the To line in Pine's Compose window, press Ctrl T to take you to the Address Book. At this screen, type a short nickname, the person's full name, and the Internet address. Next time, all you'll have to do is type the nickname on the To line.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

To receive mail in Pine, choose the I option from the main menu. You'll see a list of messages, their subject lines, and the senders' names. At the bottom of this mail screen are commands, just like in the Compose screen. However, they don't require the Ctrl key, so if you want to delete a message, just press the D key. You can also save messages (press the S key) to a directory called folders. You should delete messages you don't want periodically, especially if you pay for storage space on your Internet account.

R.S.V.P.

Reply to mail by pressing the R key while you're reading a message. Pine opens the Compose window and automatically copies the address and subject line for you. Pine also copies the message you received, which you can also edit or delete. If you don't want to reply, but want to send the message to someone else, type F to forward it.

Pine versus Eudora

If you're lucky enough to have Internet access through special Macintosh, Windows or OS/2 programs, you needn't ever use Pine. Such software often comes with its own e-mail program. A popular e-mail program for both Macintosh and Windows is Eudora, which is freely available from many places on the Internet.

Like Pine, Eudora sends text and files to anyone on the Internet. You can create distribution lists and nicknames, reply to messages, and forward them. However, Eudora uses a graphic interface that is able to integrate with other Mac and PC software. For example, when you send an attachment with Eudora, you select the Attach Document menu item. With a couple of mouse clicks, you can attach any file to your mail without first transferring it to your Internet account. Similarly, you can save messages on your PC hard drive so you can work on them whenever you wish, in whatever computer application you like.

Because programs like Eudora "go get" your mail, then store it on your PC or Mac, you can read it after you've disconnected from the Internet. If you pay for your connection time, this can save a lot of money. On the other hand, putting files on your computer can create havoc. Always run any program files you receive via e-mail through a recent virus checker before you open them.
-- James H. Roberts

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