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+--------------------------------------------------+ | Accessing The Internet By E-Mail | | Doctor Bob's Guide to Offline Internet Access | | 6th Edition - February 1997 | +--------------------------------------------------+ Copyright (c) 1994-97, "Doctor Bob" Rankin All rights reserved. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this document provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all copies. Feel free to upload to your favorite BBS or Internet server! How to Access Internet Services by E-mail ----------------------------------------- If you don't have direct access to the Internet through your BBS or online service, you're not alone. Many of the world's countries with Internet connections have only e-mail access to this world-wide network of networks. But if you think that sounds limiting, read on. You can access almost any Internet resource using e-mail. Maybe you've heard of FTP, Gopher, Archie, Veronica, Finger, Usenet, Whois, Netfind, WAIS, and the World-Wide Web but thought they were out of your reach because you don't have a direct connection. Not so! You can use simple e-mail commands to do all of this and much more on the Internet. And even if you do have full Internet access, using e-mail services can save you time and money. If you can send a note to an Internet address, you're in the game. I encourage you to read this entire document first and then go back and try out the techniques that are covered. This way, you will gain a broader perspective of the information resources that are available, an introduction to the tools you can work with, and the best methods for finding the information you want. Proud Sponsors -------------- COORDINATE.COM now offers BeyondMail Personal Internet Edition... Leading edge, easy-to-use e-mail specifically designed for the Internet. Download a free copy of BeyondMail Personal Internet Edition for Windows or Mac -- a $29 value -- when you search for long-lost friends through Coordinate.com's Switchboard white pages (www.switchboard.com). For more information, visit us on the Web or e-mail "info@coordinate.com". IT'S A FACT!! You can meet fascinating people & tour exotic lands by e-mail. Have more cyber-fun through the E-MAIL CLUB. For FREE info, send a blank message to "emailclub@mailback.com" or visit on the Web at "http://www.emailclub.com". DR. BOB'S PAINLESS GUIDE to the Internet (And Amazing Things You Can Do With E-Mail) is different than any other Internet book. It's cheap--only $12.95, and it's blissfully short--just 145 pages. Find out how you could win a free copy! Additional details and ordering information are located at the end of this document. Recent Changes To This Document ------------------------------- 6.4 Jive Server gone; Infomart autoresponder replaced by Binky; added info on Usenet via webmail 6.3 Verified all ftp/archie/gopher/web mail servers, many are defunct; added Jive server, some new Agora servers, new translation info. 6.2 Infobot is defunct (sniff) 6.1 New/defunct FTP, WWW, gopher mail servers; Anon.penet.fi is gone; New anon mailers; dns@grasp.insa-lyon.fr is gone; Vigilante Filter; Mercury Mail; 6.0 New LISZT list/newsgroup searcher; new archiemail, ftpmail, gophermail and webmail servers; INETMAIL utility; minor editing; Updated info on Usenet and WAIS by e-mail; Sunsite, DEC, & Oakland FTP-mailers axed; Reference.Com replaces Stanford usenet filter; new translations Finding the Latest Version -------------------------- This document is now available from several automated mail servers. To get the latest edition, send e-mail to one of the addresses below. To: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu (for US, Canada & South America) Enter only this line in the BODY of the note: send usenet/news.answers/internet-services/access-via-email To: mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk (for Europe, Asia, etc.) Enter only this line in the BODY of the note: send lis-iis e-access-inet.txt You can also get the file by anonymous FTP at one of these sites: Site: rtfm.mit.edu get pub/usenet/news.answers/internet-services/access-via-email Site: ftp.mailbase.ac.uk get pub/lists/lis-iis/files/e-access-inet.txt Or on the Web in HTML format at: http://www.activesol.com/www/dbobfram.htm Before You Write... ------------------- Please make sure you have the latest version of this guide before writing to the author with questions and updates. Don't give up too quickly on the busy e-mail servers, and if you get an error message, try your operation again on a different day or time. If you'd like to keep up with the latest updates and announcements of new versions, send the command: SUBSCRIBE ACCMAIL Firstname Lastname in the BODY of a message to the address "LISTSERV@LISTSERV.AOL.COM". In fact, the ACCMAIL list is a great place to ask any questions you have about this guide. You're likely to get a quicker response from one of the list subscribers, because the author gets several hundred messages per week! Other Translations of This Document ----------------------------------- Several readers have graciously volunteered to translate this text into languages other than English. Please contact the author if you would like to assist in the translation of this document into another language. The list below shows the status of the translation work that has been done or is in progress. To obtain any of the completed texts, send e-mail with Subject: send accmail.xx (where "xx" is as shown below) To: BobRankin@MHV.NET Translation Filename Translation Filename ----------------------- ---------- ----------------------- ---------- Catalan (5th Ed.) accmail.ca Chinese GB (6th Ed.) accmail.cn Chinese BIG5 (5th Ed.) accmail.tw Croatian (4th Ed.) accmail.hr Czech (6th Ed.) accmail.cz Danish (5th Ed.) accmail.dk Dutch (3rd Ed.) accmail.nl Esperanto (4th Ed.) accmail.eo Farsi (5th Ed.) accmail.ir Finnish (6th Ed.) accmail.fi French (6th Ed.) accmail.fr German (5th Ed.) accmail.de Greek (In progress) accmail.gr Hebrew (5th Ed.) accmail.he Hungarian (4th Ed.) accmail.hu Irish (In progress) accmail.ie Indonesian (4th Ed.) accmail.id Italian (5th Ed.) accmail.it Lithuanian (6th Ed.) accmail.lt Japanese (6th Ed.) accmail.jp Norwegian (4th Ed.) accmail.no Polish (4th Ed.) accmail.pl Portuguese (6th Ed.) accmail.pt Romanian (6th Ed.) accmail.ro Russian (5th Ed.) accmail.su Serbian (6th Ed.) accmail.sr Slovak (5th Ed.) accmail.sk Spanish (6th Ed.) accmail.sp Tagalog (In progress) accmail.ph Thai (6th Ed.) accmail.th Turkish (In progress) accmail.tr Somali (5th Ed.) accmail.so Ukranian (6th Ed.) accmail.ua NOTE: Your "send accmail.xx" request MUST be in the SUBJECT line! Acknowledgements ---------------- This document is continually expanding and improving as a result of the daily flood of comments and questions received by the author. The following individuals are hereby recognized for their work in translating "Accessing" to various languages. (If I forgot anyone, let me know and I'll gladly add you to the list.) Flesch Balint - Hungarian Ron Barak - Hebrew Nikola Borojevic - Croatian Krzysztof Buniewicz - Polish Claude Bay - French Pierre Couillard - French Shahriar Eivazzadeh - Farsi Vadim Fedorov - Russian Ricard Forner - Catalanian Alonso Gustavo - Spanish Stefan Greundel - German Mihai Jalobeanu - Romanian Paavo Juntunen - Finnish Joao Neves - Portuguese Stanislav Ponca - Slovakian Oe Wely Eko Raharjo - Indonesian Boonyakiat Saengwan - Thai Vidar Sarvik - Norwegian Christian Schou - Danish Darius Matuliauskas - Lithuanian Martin Slunecko - Czech Zvonko Springer - Croatian Andras Sogor - Hungarian Komatsu Toshiki - Japanese Jeene van der Hoef - Dutch Dario Vercelli - Italian Ewa Poskrobko - Polish Martin Weichert - Esperanto Yassin Ismail Ali - Somali Ukranian - Dmitry V. Bisikalo Brankica Kranjac - Serbian Ivan Stamenkovic - Serbian A Short Aside... "What is the Internet?" ---------------------------------------- Many introductory texts on the Internet go into excruciating detail on the history, composition and protocol of the Internet. If you were looking for that you won't find it here, because this is a "how to" lesson, not a history book. When you buy a new car, they don't make you read "The Life and Times of Henry Ford" before you can turn the top down and squeal off the lot. And when you get a new computer, nobody forces you to read a text on logic design before you fire up Leisure Suit Larry or WordPerfect. So if you're the type that wants to short-circuit the preliminaries and just dig in, you've come to the right place. I'm not going to bore you with the gory details. Instead, I'll just offer up my Reader's Digest condensed definition of the Internet, and encourage you to find out more as you gain skill at using the tools described herein. Internet (noun) - A sprawling collection of computer networks that spans the globe, connecting government, military, educational and commercial institutions, as well as private citizens to a wide range of computer services, resources, and information. A set of network conventions and common tools are employed to give the appearance of a single large network, even though the computers that are linked together use many different hardware and software platforms. The Rules of The Game --------------------- This document is meant to be both tutorial and practical, so there are lots of actual commands and internet addresses listed herein. You'll notice that when these are included in the text they are indented by several spaces for clarity. Don't include the leading spaces when you try these commands on your own! You'll also see things like "<file>" or "<name>" appearing in this document. Think of these as place holders or variables which must be replaced with an appropriate value. Do NOT include the quotes or brackets in your value unless specifically directed to do so. Most e-mail servers understand only a small set of commands and are not very forgiving if you deviate from what they expect. So include ONLY the specified commands in the Subject or body of your note, leaving off any extraneous lines such as your signature, etc. Unless otherwise specified, you can leave the Subject and/or body of the note empty. If your mail software insists on a Subject or body, just type "XYZZY" or something equally non-sensical. You should also ensure that you have one blank line between the note headers and the body of your note. And do pay attention to upper/lower case in directory and file names when using e-mail servers. It's almost always important. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* SPECIAL NOTE: The e-mail servers listed in this guide are for the most part operated by kind-hearted volunteers at companies or universities. If you abuse (or over-use) the servers, there's a very good chance they will be shut down permanently. This actually happened to several of the e-mail servers in 1995 and 1996. If you have more direct Internet access, let others who are less fortunate use the e-mail servers. Try to limit your data transfers to one megabyte per day. Don't swamp the servers with many requests at a time. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* FTP BY E-MAIL ------------- FTP stands for "file transfer protocol", and is a means of accessing files that are stored on remote computer systems (sites). Files at FTP sites are typically stored in a tree-like set of directories (or nested folders for Mac fans), each of which pertains to a different subject. When visiting an FTP site using a "live" internet connection, one would specify the name of the site, login with a userid & password, navigate to the desired directory and select one or more files to be transferred back to their local system. Using FTP by e-mail is very similar, except that the desired site is reached through a special "ftpmail server" which logs in to the remote site and returns the requested files to you in response to a set of commands in an e-mail message. Using FTP by e-mail can be nice even for those with full Internet access, because some popular FTP sites are heavily loaded and interactive response can be very sluggish. So it makes sense not to waste time and connect charges in these cases. To use FTP by e-mail, you first need a list of FTP "sites" which are the addresses of the remote computer systems that allow you to retrieve files anonymously (without having a userid and password on that system). There are some popular sites listed later in this guide, but you can get a comprehensive list of hundreds of anonymous FTP sites by sending an e-mail message to the internet address: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu and include these lines in the BODY of the note. send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/sitelist/part1 ... (19 lines omitted for brevity) ... send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/sitelist/part21 You will then receive (by e-mail) 21 files which comprise the "FTP Site List". Note that these files are each about 60K, so the whole lot will total over a megabyte! This could place a strain on your system, so first check around to see if the list is already available locally. Another file you might want to get is "FTP Frequently Asked Questions" which contains lots more info on using FTP services, so add this line to your note as well: send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/faq After you receive the site list you'll see dozens of entries like this, which tell you the site name, location and the kind of files that are stored there. Site : oak.oakland.edu Country: USA Organ : Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan System : Unix Comment: Simtel Software Repository mirror Files : BBS lists; ham radio; TCP/IP; Mac; modem protocol info; MS-DOS; MS-Windows; PC Blue; PostScript; Simtel-20; Unix If you find an interesting FTP site in the list, send e-mail to one of these ftpmail servers: ftpmail@sunsite.auc.dk (Denmark) ftpmail@garbo.uwasa.fi (Finland) bitftp@vm.gmd.de (Germany) ftpmail@ftp.uni-stuttgart.de (Germany) ftpmail@ieunet.ie (Ireland) ftpxcorreo@ftp.rcp.net.pe (Peru) bitftp@plearn.edu.pl (Poland) ftpmail@relay.interbit.ro (Romania) ftpmail@ftp.sunet.se (Sweden) ftpmail@ftp.luth.se (Sweden) bitftp@pucc.princeton.edu (United States) ftpmail@src.doc.ic.ac.uk (United Kingdom) ftpmail@conicit.ve (Venezuela) ftpmail@inf.tu-dresden.de (Germany * Local files only *) ftp-request@netcom.com (USA * Local files only *) ftpmail@oak.oakland.edu (USA * Local files only *) ftpmail@NCTUCCCA.edu.tw (Taiwan * Local files only *) ftpmail@ftpmail.ramona.vix.com (* DEFUNCT *) ftpmail@census.gov (* DEFUNCT *) ftpmail@archie.inesc.pt (* DEFUNCT *) ftpmail@cs.uow.edu.au (* DEFUNCT *) ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com (* DEFUNCT *) ftpmail@sunsite.unc.edu (* DEFUNCT *) ftpmail@ftp.sun.ac.za (* DEFUNCT *) ftpmail@ftp.rz.uni-dresden.de (* DEFUNCT *) It doesn't really matter which one you choose, but a server that is geographically close may respond quicker. (Please DON'T use the first one in the list just because it's there!) In the body of the note, include these lines: open <site> * use "connect <site>" for dec.com sites dir quit This will return to you a list of the files stored in the root directory at that site. See the figure below for an example of the output when using "oak.oakland.edu" for the site name. +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ -r--r--r-- 1 w8sdz OAK 1255 Nov 9 16:32 README drwxr-xr-x 3 w8sdz OAK 8192 Feb 25 05:17 SimTel d--x--x--x 3 root system 8192 Jan 19 20:26 bin d--x--x--x 5 root system 8192 Dec 30 05:15 etc drwxr-xr-x 3 w8sdz OAK 8192 Jan 30 17:37 pub +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ In your next e-mail message you can navigate to other directories by inserting (for example) chdir pub (use "cd" if "chdir" doesn't work) before the "dir" command. (The "chdir" means "change directory" and "pub" is a common directory name, usually a good place to start.) Once you determine the name of a file you want to retrieve, use: get <name of file> in the following note instead of the "dir" command. If the file you want to retrieve is plain text, this will suffice. If it's a binary file (an executable program, compressed file, etc.) you'll need to insert the command: binary in your note before the "get" command. Tip: Many directories at FTP sites contain a file called 00-index.txt, README, or something similarly named which gives a description of the files found there. If you're just exploring and your "dir" reveals one of these filenames, do a "get" on the file and save yourself some time. OK, let's grab the text of The Magna Carta. Here's the message you send to ftpmail@src.doc.ic.ac.uk (or another ftpmail server): open ftp.spies.com (The name of the FTP site) chdir Gov/World (The directory where the file lives) get magna.txt (Sign here please, John) quit (Bring it on home) Here are the commands you would send to to get a file from the Simtel Software Repository that was mentioned earlier. open oak.oakland.edu chdir SimTel/msdos/disasm binary (Because we're getting a ZIP file) get bubble.zip quit Some other interesting FTP sites you may want to "visit" are listed below. (Use these site names on the "open" command and the suggested directory name on your "chdir" command, as in the previous examples.) ocf.berkeley.edu Try: pub/Library for documents, Bible, lyrics, etc. rtfm.mit.edu Try: pub/usenet/news.answers for USENET info oak.oakland.edu Try: SimTel/msdos for a huge DOS software library gatekeeper.dec.com Try: pub/recipes for a cooking & recipe archive Remember that you can't just send e-mail to ftpmail@<anysite>, rather you send the "open <site>" command to one of the known ftpmail servers. Notes: - The ftpmail servers tend to be quite busy. Your reply may not arrive for several minutes, hours, or days. - Some large files may be split into smaller pieces and returned to you as multiple messages. You can control this (and also override the return e-mail address) using special ftpmail commands. - The commands are not the same on every server - send the "help" command to find out how FTPMAIL works on the server you are using! - Often the ftpmail servers keep local archives. Open the local archives by not specifying a site on the "open" line. Using the local archives gives your request priority so it will be processed before all outside requests. If the file that is returned to you ends up looking something like what you see below, (the word "begin" with a number and the filename on one line, followed by a bunch of 61-character lines) it most likely is a binary file that has been "uuencoded" by the sender. (This is required in order to reliably transmit binary files by e-mail.) begin 666 answer2.zip M4$L#!`H`!@`.`/6H?18.$-Z$F@P```@?```,````5$5,25@S,34N5%A480I[ M!P8;!KL,2P,)!PL).PD'%@.(!@4.!P8%-@.6%PL*!@@*.P4.%00.%P4*.`4. You'll need to scrounge up a version of the "uudecode" program for your operating system (DOS, OS/2, Unix, Mac, etc.) in order to reconstruct the file. Most likely you'll find a copy already at your site or in your service provider's download library, but if not you can use the instructions in the next section to find out how to search FTP sites for a copy. ARCHIE BY E-MAIL ---------------- Let's say you know the name of a file, but you have no idea at which FTP site it might be lurking. Or maybe you're curious to know if files matching a certain naming criteria are available via FTP. Archie is the tool you can use to find out. Archie servers can be thought of as a database of all the anonymous FTP sites in the world, allowing you to find the site and/or name of a file to be retrieved. And using Archie by e-mail can be convenient because some Archie searches take a LONG time to complete, leaving you to tap your toes in the meantime. To use Archie by e-mail, simply send an e-mail message to one of the following addresses: archie@archie.funet.fi (Finland) archie@archie.kuis.kyoto-u.ac.jp (Japan) archie@archie.luth.se (Sweden) archie@archie.doc.ic.ac.uk (United Kingdom) archie@archie.rutgers.edu (United States) archie@archie.unl.edu (United States) archie@archie.sura.net (United States - defunct?) archie@archie.au (Australia - defunct?) archie@archie.th-darmstadt.de (Germany - defunct?) To obtain detailed help for using Archie by mail, put the word help in the subject of the note and just send it off. You'll receive e-mail explaining how to use archie services. If you're the "just do it" type, then enter the command: find <file> where "<file>" is the name of the file to search for, in the BODY (not the subject) of the note. This will search for files that match your criteria exactly. If you want to find files that contain your search criteria anywhere in their name, insert the line set search sub before the "find" command. Some other useful archie commands you might want to use are: set maxhits 20 (limit output, default is 100 files) set match_domain usa (restrict output to FTP sites in USA) set output_format terse (return output in condensed form) When you get the results from your Archie query, it will contain the names of various sites at which the desired file is located. Use one of these site names and the directory/filename listed for your next FTP file retrieval request. Now you've learned enough to locate that UUDECODE utility mentioned in the last section. Let's send e-mail to archie@archie.rutgers.edu (or one of the other archie servers), and include the following lines in the message: set match_domain usa set search sub (looking for a substring match...) find uudecode (must contain this string...) Note: You'll be looking for the uudecode source code, not the executable version, which would of course be a binary file and would arrive uuencoded - a Catch 22! The output of your archie query will contain lots of information like this: Host ftp.clarkson.edu (128.153.4.2) Last updated 06:31 9 Oct 1994 Location: /pub/simtel20-cdrom/msdos/starter FILE -r-xr-xr-x 5572 bytes 21:00 11 Mar 1991 uudecode.bas Location: /pub/simtel20-cdrom/msdos/starter FILE -r-xr-xr-x 5349 bytes 20:00 17 Apr 1991 uudecode.c Now you can use an ftpmail server to request "uudecode.bas" (if you have BASIC available) or "uudecode.c" (if you have a C compiler) from the ftp.clarkson.edu site. It should be noted that the latest version of uudecode can be found at the SimTel repository. Send e-mail to listserv@SimTel.net, including any or all of these commands in the BODY of the note, and the requested files will be returned to you by e-mail. get uudecode.bas get uudecode.c get uudecode.doc SPECIAL NOTE: For DOS users, there is an EXECUTABLE ASCII version of the UUDECODE.COM program available. This is a rare exception to the rule that executable files must be encoded to survive e-mail transmission. You can receive it via e-mail and execute it "as is". To get a copy, send e-mail to BobRankin@MHV.net with Subject: send uudecode.com (must be lowercase). For further info on using uudecode, request the "uudecode.how" file. GOPHER BY E-MAIL ---------------- Gopher is a tool for exploring the Internet and is one way to find a resource if you know what you want, but not where to find it. Gopher systems are menu-based, and provide a user-friendly front end to Internet resources, searches and information retrieval. When visiting a Gopher site using a "live" Internet connection, one would specify the name of the site, navigate through a series of hierarchical menus to a desired resource, and then either read or transfer the information back to their home system. Using Gopher by e-mail is very similar, except that the desired site is reached through a special "gophermail server" which gophers to the remote site on your behalf and and returns the requested menu, submenu or file to you in response to a set of commands in an e-mail message. NOTE: In recent years, Gopher has fallen in popularity and most of the gophermail servers have closed down. But still there is quite a bit of information available on gopher servers, and a few working gophermail servers. Although not every item on every menu will be accessible by "gophermail", you'll still find plenty of interesting things using this technique. Down to brass tacks... let's send e-mail to one of these addresses: gopher@ncc.go.jp Japan gophermail@eunet.cz Czech Republic gophermail@cr-df.rnp.br Brazil (defunct?) gopher@pip.shsu.edu USA (defunct?) gopher@info.lanic.utexas.edu USA (defunct?) gopher@lfmotol.cuni.cz ( *DEFUNCT* ) gopher@studserv.rug.nl ( *DEFUNCT* ) gopher@nig.ac.jp ( *DEFUNCT* ) gopher@earn.net ( *DEFUNCT* ) gophermail@calvin.edu ( *DEFUNCT* ) You can optionally specify the address of a known gopher site on the Subject line to get the main menu for that site instead. Here are some interesting gopher sites you may like to explore at your leisure. cwis.usc.edu gopher.micro.umn.edu english-server.hss.cmu.edu Let's be bold and skip the HELP stuff for now. Fire off a note to one of the gophermail servers and specify Subject: cwis.usc.edu You'll get a message back from the server that looks something like the text in the figure below. +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ Mail this file back to gopher with an X before the items you want. 1. About USCgopher/ 2. How To Find Things on Gopher/ 3. University Information/ 4. Campus Life/ 5. Computing Information/ 6. Library and Research Information/ 7. Health Sciences/ 8. Research and Technology Centers/ 9. Other Gophers & Info Resources/ You may edit the following numbers to set the maximum sizes after which GopherMail should send output as multiple email messages: Split=27K bytes/message <- For text, bin, HQX messages Menu=100 items/message <- For menus and query responses # Name=About USCgopher Numb=1 Type=1 Port=70 Path=1/About_USCgopher Host=cwis.usc.edu # ... (some lines deleted) ... Name=Other Gophers and Information Resources Numb=9 Type=1 Port=70 Path=1/Other_Gophers_and_Information_Resources Host=cwis.usc.edu +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ To proceed to a selection on the returned menu just e-mail the whole text of the note (from the menu downwards) back to the gopher server, placing an "x" next to the items(s) you want to explore. You'll then receive the next level of the gopher menu by e-mail. Some menu choices lead to other menus, some lead to text files, and some lead to searches. In the example above, let's select x 9. Other Gophers & Info Resources and mail the whole shebang right back at the gophermail server. You should then get a menu with a number of interesting selections including "Gopher Jewels". You'll find a LOT of good stuff along that path. The Gopher Jewels project is probably the best organized collection of Internet resources around. If a menu item is labelled "Search" you can select that item with an "x" and supply your search words in the Subject: of your reply. Note that your search criteria can be a single word or a boolean expression such as: document and (historic or government) Each of the results (the "hits") of your search will be displayed as an entry on yet another gopher menu! Note: You needn't actually return the entire gopher menu and all the routing info that follows it each time you reply to the gophermail server. If you want to minimize the size of your query, you can strip out the "menu" portion at the top and include only the portion below that pertains to the menu selection you want. Just remember that if you use this approach, you must specify "get all" on the Subject line. (Exception: for searching, specify only the search terms on the Subject line.) The example below is equivalent to selecting "option 9" as we did earlier. Split=0K bytes/message Menu=0 items/message # Name=Other Gophers Numb=9 Type=1 Port=70 Path=1/Other_Gophers_and_Information_Resources Host=cwis.usc.edu If this looks like nonsense to you, here's a human translation: Connect to PORT 70 of the HOST (computer) at "cwis.usc.edu", retrieve the sub-menu "Other Gophers", and send it to me in ONE PIECE, regardless of its size. Note: Sometimes gophermail requests return a blank menu or message. This is most likely because the server failed to connect to the host from which you were trying to get your information. Send your request again later and it'll probably work. VERONICA BY E-MAIL ------------------ Speaking of searches, this is a good time to mention Veronica. Just as Archie provides a searchable index of FTP sites, Veronica provides this function for "gopherspace". Veronica will ask you what you want to look for (your search words) and then display another menu listing all the gopher menu items that match your search. In typical gopher fashion, you can then select one of these items and "go-pher it"! To try Veronica by e-mail, retrieve the main menu from a gophermail server using the method just described. Then try the choice labelled "Other Gopher and Information Servers". This menu will have an entry for Veronica. You'll have to select one (or more) Veronica servers to handle your query, specifying the search words in the Subject of your reply. Here's another example of where using e-mail servers can save time and money. Often the Veronica servers are very busy and tell you to "try again later". So select 2 or 3 servers, and chances are one of them will be able to handle your request the first time around. A Gophermail Shortcut: ---------------------- The path to some resources, files or databases can be a bit tedious, requiring several e-mail messages to the gophermail server. But here's the good news... If you've done it once, you can re-use any of the e-mail messages previously sent in, changing it to suit your current needs. As an example, here's a clipping from the Veronica menu you would get by following the previous instructions. You can send these lines to any gophermail server to run a Veronica search. Split=64K bytes/message <- For text, bin, HQX messages (0 = No split) Menu=100 items/message <- For menus and query responses (0 = No split) # Name=Search GopherSpace by Title word(s) (via NYSERNet) Type=7 Port=2347 Path= Host=empire.nysernet.org Specify the search words in the Subject line and see what turns up! You can use boolean expressions in Veronica searches. For a guide to composing Veronica searches, send these lines to a gophermail server: Name=How to Compose Veronica Queries Path=0/veronica/how-to-query-veronica Host=veronica.scs.unr.edu USENET BY E-MAIL ---------------- Usenet is a collection of over 15000 discussion groups on every topic imaginable. In order to get a proper start and avoid embarrasing yourself needlessly, you must read the Usenet new users intro document, which can be obtained by sending e-mail to: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu and include this line in the BODY of the note: send usenet/news.answers/news-newusers-intro To get a listing of Usenet newsgroups, add these commands to your note: send usenet/news.answers/active-newsgroups/part1 (also get part2) send usenet/news.answers/alt-hierarchies/part1 (also get part2 & part3) To get the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) file(s) for a given newsgroup, try a command like this: index usenet/<newsgroupname> (Substitute dots for dashes if they appear in the newsgroup name.) If any FAQ files are available, they will be listed in the returned info, and you can request them with a command like: send usenet/<newsgroupname>/<faqfilename> Once you've handled the preliminaries, you'll need to know how to read and contribute to Usenet newsgroups by e-mail. To read a newsgroup, you can use the gophermail service discussed earlier in this guide. To obtain a list of recent postings to a particular newsgroup, send the following lines to one of the gophermail servers mentioned previously. Specify "Subject: get all" and include only these lines in the message body. (You must replace "<newsgroup>" below with the name of the Usenet newsgroup you wish to access. eg: alt.answers, biz.comp.services, news.newusers.questions, etc.) Type=1 Port=4320 Path=nntp ls <newsgroup> Host=gopher.ic.ac.uk If this doesn't work, you can try another Host by substituting one of the lines below. Host=services.canberra.edu.au Host=risc.upol.cz Host=cari.telecom.uqam.ca Host=infopub.uqam.ca Host=gopher.tc.umn.edu (maybe, very busy) Note that some of these sites carry only a limited range of newsgroups, so you may have to try several before finding one which carries the newsgroup you're looking for. When the newsgroup does not exist, gophermail sends something like "'nntp ls <newsgroup>': path does not exist". When a site does not accept outside requests, gophermail sends something like "Sorry, we don't accept requests outside campus". If successful, the gophermail server will send you a typical gopher menu on which you may select the individual postings you wish to read. If your query returns nothing, or you get a "not found" message, try it at another time of day. The servers are very busy during regular business hours. NOTE: Gophermail servers are a vanishing breed. You can also get Usenet postings from several Agora (webmail) servers listed in the WORLD-WIDE WEB BY E-MAIL section later in this document. Look for an Agora server with a "Y" in the "Usenet Access" column and send a command like this in the BODY of the message: send news:<newsgroup> With a little luck, you'll get a list of recent postings to the newsgroup, and then you can retrieve the individual postings by replying to the message from the Agora server. Make sure not to change the subject line of the reply message, and just put the number of the posting you want in the message BODY. If you decide to make a post of your own, mail the text of your post to: group.name@dispatch.demon.co.uk group.name@news.demon.co.uk group.name@news.uni-stuttgart.de group.name@myriad.alias.net group.name@crs4gw.crs4.it (Italy users only) group.name-news@newsbase.cs.yale.edu (* DEFUNCT *) group.name@brushtail.hna.com.au (* DEFUNCT *) Note: Some servers only support a limited range of newsgroups. So to post to news.newusers.questions, you might send your message to: news.newusers.questions@dispatch.demon.co.uk Be sure to include an appropriate Subject: line, and include your real name and e-mail address at the close of your note. TIP: SEARCHING FOR USENET NEWSGROUPS - Don't know the name of the newsgroup? To search for Usenet groups about "pets", for example, send e-mail to an Agora server (see WWW section) with this line in the message BODY: send http://www.nova.edu/Inter-Links/cgi-bin/news.pl?pets Another way to find newsgroups: Send e-mail to "liszter@bluemarble.net" with news "keyword" in the BODY if the message. (The quotes force an exact match.) USENET SEARCHES --------------- A service called REFERENCE.COM makes it possible to search USENET newsgroups for postings that contain keywords of interest to you. You can even "subscribe" and receive a daily list of newsgroup postings that match your search criteria. Send mail to "email-queries@reference.com" with HELP in the body of note for full details. A similar service called the Vigilant Information Filter can be reached by sending e-mail to "info@vigilant.bc.ca". WAIS SEARCHES BY E-MAIL ----------------------- WAIS stands for Wide Area Information Service, and is a means of searching a set of over 500 indexed databases. The range of topics is too broad to mention, and besides, you'll soon learn how to get the topic list for yourself. A list of WAIS databases can be obtained by sending e-mail to a gophermail server with "Subject: get all" and these lines in the message body: Type=1 Name=All WAIS Sources Path=1/other/wais/all Host=info.asu.edu Port=70 Look through the returned list for topics that are of interest to you and select one to search. Specify your search term(s) on the Subject line, and clip out just the section of the returned gopher menu that corresponds to your target database. Use these lines and with Subject of "seafarer" : Type=7+ Name=poetry.src Path=waissrc:/other/wais/all/poetry Host=info.asu.edu Port=70 You will (hopefully) receive a gophermail menu in response listing the matching "documents". To retrieve the full text of a matching document, just make a selection from the returned gopher menu, and the referenced file will be sent to you. In my testing, WAIS by gophermail was not reliable. Often a blank menu was returned but repeated attempts did occasionally meet with success. You are more likely to find what you're after by using the webmail services listed in the next section. WORLD-WIDE WEB BY E-MAIL ------------------------ The World-Wide Web is the premier Internet navigational tool - a hypertext and multimedia system that lets you hop around the Net, read documents, and access images & sounds linked to a source. Have you ever heard someone say, "Wow, check out the cool stuff at http://www.somewhere.com/blah.html" and wondered what in the world they were talking about? Now you can retrieve WWW documents by e-mail using an Agora webmail server. All you need to know is the Uniform Resource Locator (or URL, that long ugly string starting with "http:", "gopher:", or "ftp:") which defines the address of the document, and you can retrieve it by sending e-mail to one of: Agora Server Address Location Usenet Access? --------------------------- -------------------- -------------- agora@dna.affrc.go.jp (Japan) Y agora@kamakura.mss.co.jp (Japan) Y agora@info.lanic.utexas.edu (USA) Y agora@picard.tec.mn.us (USA) agora@mx.nsu.nsk.su (Russian users ONLY) In the body of your note include one of these lines, replacing "<URL>" with the actual URL specification. send <URL> rsend <return-address> <URL> (to override your return address) This will send you back the document you requested, with a list of all the documents referenced within, so that you may make further requests. To try WWW by e-mail send the following commands to an Agora server : www send http://www.w3.org You'll receive in due course the Agora help file and the "WWW Welcome Page" which will include references to other Web documents you'll want to explore. THERE ARE SOME OTHER WWW mail servers... Address Syntax Comments ----------------------- ---------- ------------------------- w3mail@gmd.de GET <URL> Send HELP command for more info getweb@usa.healthnet.org GET <URL> wwwfmail@linux.netmor.com Use 'Subject: info' for help webmail@www.ucc.ie GO <URL> Same as webmail@curia.ucc.ie web-mail@ebay.com <URL> Limited free searches - Defunct? web@glr.com <URL> Defunct? Note: The webmail servers are sometimes unavailable for days (or weeks) at a time without explanation. If you get an error or no reply, please retry in a day or so. WWW SEARCH BY E-MAIL -------------------- There's a lot of great stuff out on the Web, but how do you find it? Well, just like Archie and Veronica help you search FTP and gopher sites, there are several search engines that have been developed to search for information on the Web. But until now, you had to have direct Internet access to use them. After a bit of research, I have found that it is possible to use several WWW search mechanisms by e-mail. Here are some sample queries that you can use to search via Lycos and WebCrawler. Any of these lines can be sent to an Agora server (see above) to perform a search. If you're not interested in frogs, then by all means feel free to use your own keywords. For Lycos, append a dot to your keywords to force an exact match, or you will get a substring search by default. Separate words with a "+" sign. http://www.lycos.com/cgi-bin/pursuit?query=frog.+dissection. For WebCrawler searches you must separate words with a "+" sign. All searches are exact, no trailing dot required. http://webcrawler.com/cgi-bin/WebQuery?frog+dissection For a more detailed discussion of web searching by e-mail, send mail to binky@picard.tec.mn.us with Subject: send wsintro.faq MAILING LISTS ------------- There are literally thousands of discussion groups that stay in touch using e-mail based systems known as "mailing lists". People interested in a topic "subscribe" to a "list" and then send and receive postings by e-mail. For a good introduction to this topic, send e-mail to: LISTSERV@vm1.nodak.edu In the body of your note include only this command: GET NEW-LIST WOUTERS Finding a Mailing List ---------------------- To find out about mailing lists that are relevant to your interests, send e-mail to "liszter@bluemarble.net" with search "keyword" in the BODY if the message. (The quotes force an exact match.) (Of course you must replace "keyword" with your own search word such as "marketing", "bicycles", etc.) Another helpful document which details the commands used to subscribe, unsubscribe and search mailing list archives can be had by sending to: LISTSERV@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu In the body of your note include only this command: get mailser cmd nettrain f=mail New in These Parts? ------------------- If you're new to the Internet, I suggest you subscribe to the HELP-NET list where you're likely to find answers to your questions. Send the command: SUBSCRIBE HELP-NET <Firstname Lastname> in the BODY of a note to LISTSERV@VM.TEMPLE.EDU, then e-mail your questions to the list address: HELP-NET@VM.TEMPLE.EDU FINGER BY E-MAIL ---------------- "Finger" is a utility that returns information about another user. Usually it's just boring stuff like last logon, etc., but sometimes people put fun or useful information in their finger replies. To try out finger, send this line (in the message BODY) to a webmail server: send http://www.mit.edu:8001/finger?<user@site> Use one of the e-mail addresses below instead of <user@site> ... nasanews@space.mit.edu coke@cs.cmu.edu quake@gldfs.cr.usgs.gov aurora@xi.uleth.ca solar@xi.uleth.ca higgins@dorsai.dorsai.org copi@oddjob.uchicago.edu cyndiw@magnus1.com "DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE" BY E-MAIL -------------------------------- "WHOIS" is a service that queries a database of Internet names and addresses. If you're looking for someone or you want to know where a particular Internet site is located, send e-mail with Subject: whois <name> To: mailserv@internic.net Try substituting "mit.edu" or the last name of someone you know in place of "<name>" and see what comes back! It should be noted that WHOIS is not a comprehensive listing of all Internet users. It contains mostly network administrators and some "notable" Internet figures. Another alternative name looker-upper is a database at MIT which keeps tabs on everyone who has posted a message on Usenet. Send e-mail to "mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu" and include this command ONLY in the BODY: send usenet-addresses/<name> Specify as much information as you can about the person (lastname, firstname, userid, site, etc.) to limit the amount of information that is returned to you. Here's a sample query to find the address of someone you think may be at Harvard University: send usenet-addresses/Jane Doe Harvard NETFIND is another more powerful search engine that uses a person's name and keywords describing a physical location to return a bunch of info about the person (or persons) who fit the bill. Let's say we want to find someone named Hardy at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Our Netfind query will be addressed to an Agora server (see list in WWW section) and will contain the only line: gopher://ds.internic.net:4320/7netfind%20dblookup?hardy+boulder+colorado Netfind works in two phases. First it displays a list of internet domains that match your keywords, then it looks for the person in the domain you select. Netfind by e-mail is very similar, in that you'll receive a listing of matching domains from which you must make one or more selections. Each selection is numbered and there are corresponding "gopher://" commands at the bottom of the listing. Let's pick the selection for cs.colorado.edu computer science dept, university of colorado, boulder which means that our next command to the Agora server will be: gopher://ds.internic.net:4320/0netfind%20netfind%20hardy%20cs.colorado.edu If all goes well, you'll receive a list something like this: full_name: HARDY, JOE (not a real person) email: CrazyJoe@Colorado.EDU phone: (303) 492-1234 address: Campus Box 777 department: COMPUTER SCIENCE Note that if you know the person's domain name already, you can jump right in with a query like the latter one above. You can also try the "Four11 Online User Directory", a free directory of users and their e-mail addresses. Send e-mail to info@four11.com for details on how to search the Four11 directory. ADDRESS/NAME SERVER INFO BY E-MAIL ---------------------------------- This is a little on the technical side, but anyway the Mail Name Server offers some useful services by e-mail, such as translating host names to IP addresses or finding nameservers for a host. Send e-mail to service@nic.ddn.mil with a Subject line of 'help' to get info on similar services. TELNET BY E-MAIL ----------------- Sorry, it can't be done. Actually it CAN be done, but apparently nobody has done it. I'd love to be proven wrong on this! A FEW NET-GOODIES ----------------- Here are some other interesting things you can do by e-mail. (Some of them are accessible only by e-mail!) * THE INTERNET TOURBUS Take a virtual tour of the Internet - hop on The Internet TourBus! You'll receive a short mailing twice a week highlighting fun and interesting sites on the Internet. It's absolutely free, and you can join 75,000 others by sending SUBSCRIBE TOURBUS Firstname Lastname in the BODY of a message to "LISTSERV@LISTSERV.AOL.COM". * STOCKS, NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS Try Mercury Mail for free daily delivery of a variety of information. Send e-mail to "info@merc.com" for details. * VIRTUAL PIZZA! Order an electronic pizza by e-mail. Send e-mail to "pizza@ecst.csuchico.edu" with a subject of "pizza help" for details. * WEBSTER DICTIONARY LOOKUP To retrieve the definition of a word, send this line to an Agora server: send http://c.gp.cs.cmu.edu:5103/prog/webster?whatever * MORE WORD FUN! The wordserver at wsmith@wordsmith.org will serve up A.Word.A.Day, Dictionary-by-mail, Thesaurus-by-mail, Acronym-by-mail, Anagram-by-mail, and Rhyme-n-Reason * PLAY GAMES BY E-MAIL Yoyodyne specializes in online games. Send mail to "win@yoyo.com". You can also play games via the PBeM Server, for info, send e-mail to "pbmserv@eiss.erols.com" with Subject: help * BIBLE SEARCH Search the King James version of the Bible. Examples below can be sent to an Agora server. Use "+" to specify multiple words; prefix proper names with "%23"; add "&PHRASE=ON" to find a phrase. send http://colet.uchicago.edu/htbin/KJV.sh?title=&word=angel+%23Mary send http://colet.uchicago.edu/htbin/KJV.sh?title=&word=fig+tree&PHRASE=ON * THE USENET ORACLE A cooperative, anonymous and humorous exchange of questions and answers. Send e-mail to oracle@cs.indiana.edu for more information. * SENDING A FAX BY E-MAIL Free faxing via the Internet? You bet. For details, send the line below to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu (in BODY of note) send usenet/news.answers/internet-services/fax-faq * U.S. CONGRESS AND THE WHITE HOUSE Find out if your congressperson has an electronic address! Just send mail to the address congress@hr.house.gov and you'll get a listing of congressional e-mail addresses. You can also contact the President (president@whitehouse.gov) or Vice President (vice.president@whitehouse.gov). * OTHER SOURCES OF US GOV'T INFO: Send the lines below to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu (in BODY of note) send usenet/news.answers/us-govt-net-pointers/part1 (also part2) * FINDING E-MAIL ADDRESSES For a guide to finding someone's e-mail addresses, send the line below to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu (in the BODY of the note) send usenet/news.answers/finding-addresses * SENDING MAIL TO VARIOUS NETWORKS For a guide to communicating with people on the various networks that make up the Internet, send the line below to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu (in the BODY of the note) send usenet/news.answers/mail/inter-network-guide * MOVIE INFO To learn how to get tons of info on movies, actors, & directors, send mailto movie@ibmpcug.co.uk with HELP in the Subject of note for details. * STOCK MARKET QUOTES If you want to get a current quote for just 1 or 2 stocks, you can use the QuoteCom service. They offer this free service along with other fee based services. For details, send e-mail to "services@quote.com" with a subject of HELP. * CURRENCY CONVERSION You can get the daily "Value of Foreign Currencies" chart from the Federal Reserve Bank in New York City by sending this line to an Agora server: send gopher://una.hh.lib.umich.edu/00/ebb/monetary/noonfx.frb * ANONYMOUS E-MAIL An "anon server" provides a front for sending mail messages and posting to Usenet newsgroups anonymously, should the need ever arise. To get instructions send e-mail to one of these addresses: help@nym.alias.net, help@weasel.owl.de, remailer@remailer.nl.com, privacy@interlink-bbs.com * ASK DR. MATH Have a math question? No problem's too big or too small for The Swat Team. Write to dr.math@forum.swarthmore.edu * VIRUS PROTECTION SOFTWARE F-Prot, one of the top PC virus scanners can be requested by e-mail. To get the current version (uuencoded) send e-mail to f-prot-update@complex.is with this message body: send-as: uue * SCOUT REPORT ....is a weekly featuring announcements of new and interesting resources on the Internet. To subscribe, send e-mail to LISTSERV@lists.internic.net with "Subscribe scout-report Your Name" in the body. * SUICIDE HELPLINE There's a suicide helpline accessible by e-mail. Send your message to jo@samaritans.org -- No syntax, they have humans! * ISPs BY AREA CODE For a list of Internet Service Providers in your area code, send this line to an Agora server: http://thelist.iworld.com/areacode/???.html (where ???=your area code) * E-MAIL TO FAX Full-featured service with free trial period. They also accept resellers who are able to promote the service on a personal home page. For details, send e-mail to fax@hasada.com * E-MAIL TO SNAIL-MAIL Need to get a message to someone in Britain who doesn't have e-mail? Send it to PaperMail! For full details on this fee-based service, send e-mail to info@papermail.win-uk.net * FOR FURTHER READING If you'd like some additional information on e-mail retrieval services send to binky@picard.tec.mn.us with Subject: send email4u.txt CONTACTING THE AUTHOR --------------------- I welcome your feedback on this guide and can be reached at the following addresses. Send corrections, ideas, suggestions and comments by e-mail. I'll try to include any new services in future editions of this guide. E-Mail : BobRankin@MHV.net Web : http://csbh.mhv.net/~bobrankin US Mail : Bob Rankin / P.O. Box 39 / Tillson, NY / 12486 MORE GOOD STUFF FROM DOCTOR BOB! ---------------------------------- Announcing a New Book... Dr. Bob's Painless Guide to the Internet ...and Amazing Things You Can Do With E-Mail No matter how you connect to the Internet (whether through e-mail or the latest Netscape beta), "Dr. Bob's Painless Guide to the Internet" will show you how to use every Internet tool--not just the World-Wide Web. Judy Heim, contributing editor at PC World says: "Most Internet books drown you in mystifying minutiae. Dr. Bob tells you everything you need to know about the Net in the plain spoken fashion that has won him leagues of fans. Doctor Bob's Painless Guide has become my favorite reference guide to cyberspace--it's the only book you'll ever need." You'll learn all about: * Connecting to the Internet * Using E-mail * The World-Wide Web * Creating a Home Page * Searching the Internet * Archie, Gopher and Veronica * Usenet Newsgroups & Mailing Lists * Finger and Telnet * Internet Relay Chat * Free Internet Software This 145-page book includes a glossary of terms and the "Internet Mini- Yellow Pages," which lists lots of useful Internet resources that you'll be able to enjoy right away. (A complete table of contents is online, see below.) "Doctor Bob's Painless Guide to the Internet" -- it's just what the doctor ordered! WIN A FREE COPY! Each week, one lucky person is selected to receive a free copy of the book. To qualify, just purchase your copy this week. Winners will be notified by e-mail. TO ORDER BY CASH OR CHECK Make your U.S. check or money order payable to BOB RANKIN and mail payment with your name, address and number of copies ordered to: BOB RANKIN / PO BOX 39, DEPT E1 / TILLSON, NY 12486 USA The book price is $12.95 plus $2 shipping per copy ($4 outside USA). Ask about quantity discounts up to 50% for groups, classes or resale. I can ship anywhere in the world! TO ORDER BY CREDIT CARD Send the following information by US Mail to the address above, or by E-mail to BobRankin@mhv.net * VISA/MasterCard/AmEx card number & expiration date * Your name (as it appears on the card) * Mailing address (and shipping address, if different) * Number of copies you wish to order ($12.95 each) * Order total - include $2 shipping per copy ($4 outside the USA) * A statement reading "I authorize Doctor Bob Publications to charge the price of this order to my credit card." For online credit card ordering, visit Dr. Bob's web page at the address http://csbh.mhv.net/~bobrankin to get complete details. (You can also find the Table of Contents for the book there.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright (c) 1994-97, "Doctor Bob" Rankin All rights reserved. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this document provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all copies. Feel free to upload to your favorite BBS or Internet server! Persons wishing to summarize this document in other publications may do so, but please include the instructions herein for obtaining the full document. I also request that you kindly supply me with a copy of the article when published. # # #