E-mail programs work fine with conventional networks. But if you blew your software budget installing the network, you do have a couple of simple options available: WinPopup and WinChat. Both of these accessory programs come with Windows 95 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11.
If you can't find the winpopup.exe or winchat.exe files on your computer, you'll have to install them from your Windows CD-ROM or floppies. If you're using Windows for Workgroups, insert the CD or the disk that contains winpopup.ex_ or winchat.ex_. Then expand the file using the DOS expand.exe utility in your hard disk's Windows directory (just type expand from a DOS window and follow the prompts). Repeat for winpopup.hl_ or winchat.hl_ if you want the help files (winpopup.hlp or winchat.hlp).
To install WinPopup in Windows 95, choose Start--Settings--Control Panel, double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon, click the Windows Setup tab, select Accessories, click Details, check the box next to WinPopup, and click OK twice to close the dialogue boxes. Then follow the prompts you see on screen. To install WinChat, just copy the contents of the Other\Chat folder from your Windows 95 CD-ROM into your Windows folder.
With WinPopup, the main trick is to make sure all the people you want to communicate with have the program running on their computers. The easiest way to do that is to find winpopup.exe in Explorer or File Manager (look in the Windows directory) and drag it to the Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup folder (in Windows 95) or to Program Manager's StartUp group window (in Windows for Workgroups 3.11). This automatically creates a Shortcut or program icon and ensures that WinPopup will launch whenever Windows starts. Users can set their own options -- choose Messages--Options and decide whether the computer should make a sound when a message arrives, whether the WinPopup window always stays on top, and whether a dialogue box pops up when a message arrives.
The rest is pretty easy. To send a message, click the Send button or choose Messages--Send; then type in the computer name of someone on your network. To send a message to an entire workgroup, select the Workgroup option and type the name of the group.

Exchange messages with individuals or workgroups using the free WinPopup accessory

If you don't know your workgroup or computer name, in Windows 95 just double-click the Network icon in the Control Panel, then click the Identification tab to see these details.
If you're using Windows for Workgroups, you can click Browse (and, if necessary, the Browse >> button in the Select Computer dialogue box) to choose your recipient from a list of available computers. Then click OK. (This works only for selecting a computer; however, you can write down the listed user and workgroup names and type them into the To: box.) Type your message and click OK. Windows tells you if your message was sent successfully.
When you receive any messages, it pays to clear them as soon as you've read them; just click the Delete icon or choose Messages--Discard or Messages--Clear All. Otherwise, subsequent messages won't appear in the message window (although the window will still pop up and make a sound, depending on the options you've chosen). To see new messages while older ones are still in the message window, click the Next button until you get to the last message. All messages are deleted when you exit WinPopup anyway, so don't get too attached to them.
For more complex and instant interaction with someone on your network, try WinChat. It lets you and another user "converse" by typing messages back and forth in a split-screen window. WinChat is like a telephone -- it's useful only if the other party answers. And while it will never replace your regular phone, WinChat comes in handy with employees who are hard of hearing or for sharing complicated text items (like computer settings) with a remote user.

Combine the advantages of WinPopup and the telephone using WinChat

Unlike WinPopup, WinChat doesn't need to be running on your recipient's machine when you "dial" up. By default, placing a WinChat call starts the program on the recipient's computer as a minimised icon and a ringing sound effect. If you don't want to be bothered by incoming chats, however, you can choose Options--Preferences, uncheck Autostart Chat, and click OK. You can still initiate chats, but you can't receive them.
To place a call, click the Dial button or choose Conversation--Dial. Type the name of the computer you're calling -- no user or workgroup names this time. (Again, Windows for Workgroups gives you a Browse button plus a history list.) The person initiating a call can repeat this process to add more people to the conversation.
To answer a call, simply maximise the WinChat icon; if the WinChat window is already open when you receive a call, click the Answer button or choose Conversation--Answer. Then just start typing. Your messages appear in your window pane, and the caller's appear in the other. If the caller adds another person to the conversation, the new participant will see all the previously typed messages (each new caller adds a pane to your screen). However, you can clear your own pane by clicking the Clear button or choosing Edit--Clear All. To terminate a call, either click the Hang Up button, choose Conversation--Hang Up, or just exit WinChat. The chat material stays on screen until you exit, answer a call, or initiate another call.
You can also customise your chats. Set a custom background colour for your pane by choosing Options--Background Colour, specify a font with Options--Font, and indicate whether panes should tile vertically or horizontally by selecting Options--Preferences. And if you don't like the other party's font and background colour, you can change them in your view.
- Scott Dunn