
          E - M A I L
          
          E-mail is Electronic mail and is widely available on
          online services and BBSs. The actual workings of the e-
          mail operation vary from system to system. Private e-mail
          systems are very similar to some message bases. In fact,
          the differences become blurry on some BBSs. 
          
          Many BBSs use the QWK off-line mail handling standard. If
          the BBS you are calling uses this standard, you can
          obtain QWK off-line mail reader software that will
          automate the task of mail handling. It will automatically
          upload and download your mail. Then, you can read and
          compose new mail off-line on your own time. There are
          many QWK-compatible mail-reader programs offered as
          shareware. Ask the sysop (system operator) of a BBS for
          recommendations.
          
          Most of the online services and many BBSs now offer
          Internet e-mail. This means you can send and receive
          Internet mail from almost any commercial online service
          and a growing number of BBSs. Such e-mail offers an
          instant and inexpensive way to communicate with others
          anywhere in the world. Try pricing an overnight letter to
          a foreign country. You can send e-mail twenty-four hours
          a day seven days a week. It provides a cheap substitute
          for long-distance phone calls. 
          
          
          INTERNET E-MAIL
          
          When you address mail to an Internet address, it consists
          of two parts:
          
          1. The name of the person to whom you are sending the
          mail (or ID number) followed by the "@" symbol.
          
          2. The Internet host name of the system which your
          destination mail recipient is using. To send mail to a
          CompuServe user, you would use their CompuServe number
          followed by the "@" symbol and compuserve.com which is
          the Internet host (domain) name given to CompuServe. Note
          that you substitute a period for the comma in the
          CompuServe member's ID number. So, if the mail
          recipient's CompuServe ID number is 12233,4455, their
          Internet address would be:
          
                  12233.4455@compuserve.com
          
          Note that NO SPACES APPEAR IN AN INTERNET ADDRESS. This
          is very important. The .com suffix that appears after
          CompuServe describes the organization. Here, the .com
          means commercial. Other Internet host suffixes are .edu
          for educational institutions, .gov for government
          offices, .mil for military sites, and .org for
          organizations. Suppose someone went by the user name of
          JohnBee on Delphi. To send him Internet mail you would
          address it like so:
          
                  johnbee@delphi.com           
          
          Note that delphi.com is the Internet host (domain) name
          of Delphi. If you send Internet mail on Delphi, you will
          need to place quotes around the Internet address. Because
          of such differences, it is essential that you read the
          instructions that come with your online service or,
          better yet, get a good third-party book about the
          particular online service you are using. When you send
          Internet Mail once, make a note of how you did it. The
          next time it will be much easier.
          
          To send Internet mail to an America Online member, you
          might use an address like:

                   stevennpr@aol.com
           
          The aol.com is the Internet host name of America Online.
          Other Internet host (domain) names are as follows:
          
          AT&T Easylink         attmail.com
          FidoNet               fidonet.org
          GEnie                 genie.geis.com
          MCI MAIL              mcimail.com
          Prodigy               prodigy.com
          
          
          
          DIFFERENCES IN INTERNET MAIL ADDRESSING
          
          Each online service has its own way of addressing mail.
          For example, suppose you were on Delphi and wanted to
          send Internet mail to Mary Moneypenny on Compuserve.
          Suppose Miss Moneypenny had a CompuServe ID number of
          11223,4455. On Delphi, when you get the TO: prompt, you
          would type:
          
                  internet"11223.4455@compuserve.com" 
          
          Then press <CTRL> Z to send the mail. Note that there are
          no spaces in the above Internet address. Also, note that
          Delphi requires quotes to be placed at the beginning and
          at the end of the Internet address. Addressing Internet
          mail on CompuServe is a little different. Suppose you
          were on CompuServe and wanted to send Internet mail to
          Jack Horner at Delphi. You would send CompuServe Internet
          mail like so:
          
                  >internet:jackhorner@delphi.com  
          
          Note that a CompuServe Internet address required a
          greater than sign before the word internet, a colon after
          the word internet, and did not use quotes like were
          required on Delphi. Because of such subtle differences,
          it is essential that you read the instructions that come
          with your online service or get a good third-party book
          about the particular online service you are using. You
          can usually ask for help and most online services will
          respond quickly. 
          
          The Studio PC BBS has a FidoNet address of 1:3619/1. The
          first 1 is the zone, 3619 the network, and the last 1 the
          node. To send Internet mail to a FidoNet address, you
          need to reverse the Fidonet address numbers and add the
          letters f, n, and z and place periods to separate these
          items. Yes, it is a bit peculiar, but keep reading! These
          letters will be explained below. Note that a period
          separates the first and last name. To send me Internet
          mail, my FidoNet Internet address is:
          
                  steven.woas@f1.n3619.z1.fidonet.org
          
          In the example above the:
          
          f signifies the node number
          n signifies the network number
          z signifies the zone number
          
          Some BBSs assign individuals a point number for their
          FidoNet address. If an individual has a point number, it
          is at the end of the fidoNet address. Suppose John Doe
          had a point number of 9 in his FidoNet address at the
          Studio PC BBS. His FidoNet address would be 1:3619/1.9.
          However, to send him Internet mail at his FidoNet
          address, you would address it like so:
          
                                
                  John.Doe@p9.f1.n3619.z1.fidonet.org
          
          Note that in the above example there is an extra p
          number. This is only for FidoNet addresses that use a
          point number. The p signifies the individual's point
          number, and it goes right after the @ character in this
          Internet Fidonet address.
          
          It can take a couple of days to move FidoNet mail because
          it is often transferred to a number of BBSs along the
          way. You should realize that others may read your
          messages.  However, most sysops have better things to do.
          
          You can also send Internet mail from a FidoNet BBS. With
          so many FidoNet BBSs around the world, chances are there
          is a FidoNet BBS near you. Since BBSs run many different
          BBS software packages, it is best to ask the sysop
          (system operator) how to send Internet mail on his
          FidoNet BBS. Most BBS sysops are eager to help members.
          
          

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