The Atari Compendium/The Atari Compendium (Toad Computers) (1994).iso/files/internet/other/access.mai

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                 Accessing The Internet By E-Mail
                   A Special "Doctor Bob" Report


             Copyright (c) 1994,  "Doctor Bob" Rankin
    All rights reserved.  Permission is granted to repost this
           document in complete and unaltered form only.


How to Access Internet Services by E-mail
-----------------------------------------

If your only access to the Internet is via e-mail, you don't have to miss
out
on all the fun!  Maybe you've heard of FTP, Gopher, Archie, Veronica, and
WAIS, but thought they were out of your reach because your online service
does not provide those tools.  Not so!  And even if you do have full
Internet access, using E-mail servers can save you time and money.

This special report will show you how to retrieve files from FTP sites,
explore the Internet via Gopher, search for information with Archie or
Veronica and query hundreds of  WAIS databases using E-MAIL AS YOUR ONLY
TOOL.

If you can send a note to an Internet address, you're in the game!  This
is
great news for users of popular online services such as CompuServe,
Prodigy
and America Online where there is partial or no direct Internet access.

I encourage you to read this entire report 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.


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 read more about the
Internet in one of the many fine Internet books & guides listed in the
Appendix.  Some of them are even free, and accessible directly from the
Internet!

Internet (noun)  - A sprawling collection of computer networks that spans
the
globe, connecting government, military, educational & 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.


FTP By E-Mail
-------------

FTP stands for "file transfer protocol", and  is a means of accessing
files
that are stored on remote computer systems.  Files are stored in a
hierarchical "tree" of directories,  each of which pertains to a different
subject.  Using FTP by e-mail can be nice even for those with full
Internet
access, because some FTP servers 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 access 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 (with having a userid and password on that system).  To get
this
list, send an e-mail note to:
        [e-mail]

without a subject and include these lines in the body of the note.
        send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/sitelist/part1
        send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/sitelist/part2
        send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/sitelist/part3
        send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/sitelist/part4
        send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/sitelist/part5
        send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/sitelist/part6
        send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/sitelist/part7
        send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/sitelist/part8

You will then receive (by e-mail) 8 files which comprise the "FTP Site
List".
Print them out or store them in a place where you can reference the list
handily.  Another file you might want to retrieve is "FTP Frequently Asked
Questions", so add this line to your note as well.  This file contains
lots
more info on using FTP services.
        send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/faq

If you find an interesting FTP site in the list, send e-mail to one of
these
addresses  (in order of preference):
        [e-mail]
        [e-mail]
        [e-mail]

And in the body of the note, include these lines:
        open <name of site>
        dir
        quit

This will return to you a list of the files stored in the root directory
at
that site.  In your next mail message you can navigate to other
directories
by inserting (for example)
        cd pub

before the dir command.  ("pub" is a common directory name, and usually a
good place to start.)  Once you determine the name of a file you want to
retrieve, use
        get <name of file>

in your 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 (a program, etc.)
you'll need to insert the binary command in your note before the get
command.

So to summarize, here's the e-mail message you would send to the address
"[e-mail]" in order to retrieve the text of The
Declaration
of Independence from a remote FTP site:
        open ftp.eff.org
        cd pub/CAF/civics
        get dec_of_ind
        quit

Some other interesting FTP sites you may want to "visit" are listed below:

ocf.berkeley.edu    try: pub/Library for  documents, bible, lyrics, etc.
rtfm.mit.edu        try: pub/usenet/news.answers for USENET FAQs &
archives
oak.oakland.edu     try: pub/msdos for a huge DOS software library
ftp.sura.net        try: pub/nic for Internet how-to documents
quartz.rutgers.edu  try: pub/humor for lots of humor files


You should note that FTP mail servers tend to be quite busy so your reply
may
not arrive for several minutes, hours, or days, depending on when and
where
you send your request.  Also, some large files may be split into smaller
pieces and returned to you as multiple messages.

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 has been uuencoded  by the
sender.  You'll need to scrounge up a version of the uudecode program for
your operating system (UNIX, DOS, OS/2, VM, etc.) in order to unscramble
the
file.  Most likely you'll find a copy in your service provider's download
library.

    begin 001 sample.zip
    M4$L#!`H`!@`&`/6H?18<$-Z$F@P```@?```,````5$5,25@S,34N5%A480I[
    M!P8;!KL,2P,)!PL)"PD'%@<(!@4&!P8%-@<6%PL*!@@*"P4&%00&%P4*"`4&
    M%08*)08(!Q@*!PH("P<+!"4$)00*!@0%%`4)-`<&%PD:*_S\_/O[^PP++`LL

Another point to consider...  If your online service charges you to store
e-mail files that are sent to you and you plan to receive some large files
via FTP, it would be wise to handle your "inbasket" expeditiously to avoid
storage costs!


Archie By E-Mail
----------------

Let's say you know the name of a file, but you have no idea at which what
FTP
site it might be lurking.  Or maybe you're curious to know if a file
matching a certain naming criteria is 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 while 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:
        [e-mail]
        [e-mail]
        [e-mail]
        [e-mail]

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 leave the subject  blank and enter
        find foo.bar
where "foo.bar" 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 amount of output , default 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 exact filename listed for your next FTP file retrieval
request.


Gopher By E-Mail
----------------

Gopher is an excellent tool for exploring the Internet and is the best way
to find a resource if you know what you want, but not where to find it.  A
gopher system is menu-based, and provides a user-friendly "front-end" to
Internet resources, searches and information retrieval.   Without a tool
like Gopher, you'd have to wander aimlessly through the Internet jungles
and
swamps to find the treasures you seek.  Gopher "knows where things are"
and
guides you to the good stuff.

Gopher takes the rough edges off of the Internet by automating remote
logins, hiding the sometimes-cryptic command sequences, and offers
powerful
search capabilities in as well.  And of course you can use Gopher by
e-mail!

Although not every item on every menu will be accessible by "gopher mail",
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:
        [e-mail]    or    [e-mail]

Leave the subject blank, enter help in the body of the note, and let it
rip.
You'll soon receive by e-mail the text of the main menu at the gopher site
you selected.  To proceed to one of the selections on the 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 search
facilities.

To perform a search, select that menu item with an "x" and supply your
search
words in the Subject: of your next reply.  Note that your search criteria
can be a single word or a boolean expression such as:
        document and (historical or government)
The each of the results (the "hits") of your search will be displayed as
an
entry on yet another gopher menu!

Just remember, you must return the entire gopher menu and all the routing
info that follows it each time you reply to the gopher-mail  server,
marking
your selection(s) with an "x", and specifying search words (if
appropriate)
in the Subject of the e-mail message.


Veronica By E-Mail
------------------

Speaking of searches, this is a good time to mention Veronica.  Just like
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 [e-mail]
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.


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!

To try WAIS by e-mail, retrieve the main menu from [e-mail]  using
the method just described.  Then try the choice labelled "Other Gopher and
Information Servers".  This menu will have an entry for "WAIS Based
Information".

There are several paths to follow from here.  You might choose one of:
        List of all WAIS databases
        WAIS databases sorted by letter
        WAIS databases sorted by Subject

A good path for beginners would be the last entry, followed up by "Subject
Tree".  After 1 or 2 more levels you'll select the database you want to
search, specifying the search words as before in the Subject of your
reply.


Note: The path to some resources, files or databases can be a bit tedious,
requiring several e-mail messages to the gopher-mail 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.
(This
applies to all gopher-mail services.)


Usenet By E-Mail
----------------

Usenet is a collection of over 5000 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 an e-mail note to  [e-mail] without a
subject and including this line in the body of the note:
        send usenet/news.answers/news-newusers-intro

Once you've handled the preliminaries, you'll need to know to read and
contribute to Usenet newsgroups by e-mail.  To read a newsgroup, you will
use the gophermail service discussed earlier in this guide.

Send the following file by e-mail to [e-mail] (or another
GopherMail Server) to obtain a list of recent postings to a particular
newsgroup.  (You must replace "<groupname>" below with the name of the
Usenet newsgroup you wish to access.  eg: alt.answers, biz.comp.services,
news.newusers.questions, etc.)

---start here---
    x 1.  <groupname>/

You may edit the following two 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 (0 = No split)
Menu=100 items/message <- For menus and query responses (0 = No split)

#
Name=<groupname>
Numb=1
Type=1
Port=4320
Path=news group <groupname>
Host=saturn.wwc.edu
---end here---

The gophermail server will mail you a typical gopher menu on which you may
select the individual postings you wish to read.  If you decide to make a
post of your own,  mail the text you wish to post to:
    [e-mail]
For example, to post to news.newusers.questions, you would send  your
message to [e-mail].  Be sure to
include an appropriate Subject: line, and to include your real name and
e-mail address at the close of your note.


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!

FINGER by e-mail

"Finger" is a utility that returns information about another user.
Usually it's just boring stuff like last logon time, etc., but sometimes
people put fun or useful information in their finger replies.  To try
out finger, send e-mail to [e-mail] with a subject of #finger
[e-mail].  You'll receive current major league
baseball standings!  (The general form is #finger user@site.)

WEBSTER by e-mail
Don't have your dictionary handy?  Send e-mail to
[e-mail] again, but this time make the subject #webster test
and you'll get a definition of the word "test" in reply.

Almanac & Weather
Almanac & Weather Jason Fesler offers a bunch of other services by
e-mail!  Almanac (daily updates), Weather, CD Music Catalog, etc.
E-mail [e-mail] with subject #HELP.  While you're at it, why
not send a note with a subject of "Thanks!".

CONGRESS email
Find out if your congressman has an electronic address!
Just send mail to the address [e-mail] and you'll get a
listing of congressional e-mail addresses.

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 & receive postings by
e-mail.  For a good introduction to this topic, send mail to
[e-mail] with GET NEW-LIST WOUTERS as the first line.

USENET Searches
A new service at Stanford University 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 newsgroups posting that
match your search criteria.  Send mail to [e-mail] with
no subject and help in the body of note for full details.

MOVIE Info
To learn how to get tons of info on movies, actors, directors, etc.
send mail to [e-mail] with no subject and help in the body of
note for full details.

Stock Market
Send e-mail with subject Stock Market Quotes to [e-mail]
and you'll receive a stock market report.  (updated daily)

Suggested Reading
-----------------

There are lots of good books and guides to help you get started on the
Internet, and here are some that I recommend.  The first three are free
via anonymous FTP, and the others can be found in most bookstores that
carry computer-related books.

"Zen and the Art of the Internet", by Brendan Kehoe
        Via ftp site: ftp.cs.widener.edu;  directory: pub/zen

"There's Gold in them thar Networks", by Jerry Martin
        Via ftp site: nic.ddn.mil; directory: rfc; filename: rfc1402.txt

"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet", by Ed Krol
        Via ftp site: nic.ddn.mil; directory: rfc; filename: rfc1118.txt

"The Whole Internet User's Guide and Catalog", by Ed Krol
        Publisher: O'Reilly & Associates♪       ISBN: 1-56592-063-5
        Price $24.95

"The Big Dummy's Guide to the Internet", by Adam Gaffin
        Publisher: MIT Press
        ISBN: 0-262-57105-6
        Price: $14.95

"The Internet for Dummies", by John Levine & Carol Baroudi
        Publisher: IDG Books
        ISBN: 1-56884-024-1
        Price: $19.95


Contacting the Author
---------------------

"Doctor Bob", also known as Bob Rankin, welcomes 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
e-mail services in future editions of this guide.

Delphi:        [e-mail]
AmericaOnline: [e-mail]
US Mail:       Doctor Bob / PO Box 39 / Tillson, NY / 12486


Something Else From Doctor Bob!
-------------------------------

    ==================================================
         "100 COOL THINGS TO DO ON THE INTERNET!"
             Doctor Bob's Internet Tour Guide
      Over 100 places you *must* visit in cyberspace
    ==================================================

There's a goldmine of information, software and services out
there just waiting to be discovered!  It can be yours, but it
ain't easy...  That's why you MUST have this informative report
which gives you the lowdown on:

* Online databases          * Electronic Library Catalogs
* Shopping in Cyberspace    * Job Postings
* Vast software libraries   * ALL FREE!

You'll learn the basics of TELNETing, FTPing and
GOPHERing to the information you want, with specific
instructions and the "secret keys" you need  to unlock
all the doors on the way!

This information could save you money, hours of valuable
time, or lead you to a new career.  And best of all,
THIS 12-PAGE REPORT COSTS ONLY $5.00 !!!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

      To get your printed copy of
"100 COOL THINGS TO DO ON THE INTERNET!"

send just $5 (cash, check or money order) plus a
     self-addressed, stamped envelope to:

 -->  DOCTOR BOB
 -->  PO BOX 39, DEPT A2
 -->  TILLSON, NY 12486 (USA)

-------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (c) 1994,  "Doctor Bob" Rankin
All rights reserved.  Permission is granted to repost this
document in complete and unaltered form only.