(Next issue we will conclude our series on this Internet Guide. We have tried to only include the parts of the guide that are applicable to our Sinclair computers using a Shell Internet account. Most of the rest applies to IBMs and MACs only at this time.)
2.4 SMILEYS
When you’re involved in an online discussion, you can’t see the smiles or shrugs that the other person might make in a live conversation to show he’s only kidding. But online, there’s no body language. So what you might think is funny, somebody else might take as an insult. To try to keep such misunderstandings from erupting into bitter disputes, we have smileys. Tilt your head to the left and look at the following sideways. :-). Or simply :). This is your basic “smiley.” Use it to indicate people should not take that comment you just made as seriously as they might otherwise. You make a smiley by typing a colon, a hyphen and a right parenthetical bracket. Some people prefer using the word “grin,” usually in this form:
<grin>
Sometimes, though, you’ll see it as grin or even just <g> for short. Some other smileys include:
;-) Wink; :-( Frown; :-O Surprise; 8-) Wearing glasses; =|:-)= Abe Lincoln.
OK, so maybe the last two are a little bogus :-).
2.5 SENDING E-MAIL TO OTHER NETWORKS
There are a number of computer networks that are not directly part of the Net, but which are now connected through “gateways” that allow the passing of e-mail. Here’s a list of some of the larger networks, how to send mail to them and how their users can send mail to you:
America Online
Remove any spaces from a user’s name and append “@aol.com,” to get
user@aol.com
America Online users who want to send mail to you need only put your Net address in the “to:” field before composing a message.
ATTMail
Address your message to user@attmail.com. From ATTMail, a user would send mail to you in this form:
internet!domain!user
So if your address were nancyr@world.std.com, your correspondent would send a message to you at
internet!world.std.com!nancyr
Bitnet
Users of Bitnet (and NetNorth in Canada and EARN in Europe) often have addresses in this form: IZZY@INDVMS. If you’re lucky, all you’ll have to do to mail to that address is add “bitnet” at the end, to get izzy@indvms.bitnet. Sometimes, however, mail to such an address will bounce back to you, because Bitnet addresses do not always translate well into an Internet form. If this happens, you can send mail through one of two Internet/Bitnet gateways. First, change the @ in the address to a %, so that you get username%site.bitnet. Then add either @vm.marist.edu or @cunyvm.cuny.edu, so that, with the above example, you would get izzy%indyvms.bitnet@vm.marist.edu or izzy%indvyvms.bitnet@cunyvm.cuny.edu Bitnet users have it a little easier: They can usually send mail directly to your e-mail address without fooling around with it at all. So send them your address and they should be OK.
CompuServe
CompuServe users have numerical addresses in this form: [CompuServe ID omitted]. To send mail to a CompuServe user, change the comma to a period and add “@compuserve.com”; for example: [e-mail address omitted]. Note that many CompuServe users must pay extra to receive mail from the Internet. If you know CompuServe users who want to send you mail, tell them to GO MAIL and create a mail message. In the address area, instead of typing in a CompuServe number, have them type your address in this form:
INTERNET:YourID@YourAddress.
For example, INTERNET:[e-mail address omitted].
Delphi
To send mail to a Delphi user, the form is username@delphi.com.
Fidonet
To send mail to people using a Fidonet BBS, you need the name they use to log onto that system and its “node number.” Fidonet node numbers or addresses consist of three numbers, in this form: 1:322/190. The first number tells which of several broad geographic zones the BBS is in (1 represents the U.S. and Canada, 2 Europe and Israel, 3 Pacific Asia, 4 South America). The second number represents the BBS’s network, while the final number is the BBS’s “FidoNode” number in that network. If your correspondent only gives you two numbers (for example, 322/190), it means the system is in zone 1. Now comes the tricky part. You have to reverse the numbers and add to them the letters f, n and z (which stand for “FidoNode,””network,” and “zone’). For example, the address above would become f190.n322.z1. Now add “fidonet.org” at the end, to get f190.n322.z1.fidonet.org. Then add “FirstName.LastName@’, to get
FirstName.LastName@f190.n322.z1.fidonet.org
Note the period between the first and last names. Also, some countries now have their own Fidonet “backbone” systems, which might affect addressing. For example, were the above address in Germany, you would end it with “fido.de” instead of “fidonet.org.”
Whew!
The reverse process is totally different. First, the person has to have access to his or her BBS’s “net mail” area and know the Fidonet address of his or her local Fidonet/UUCP gateway (often their system operator will know it). Your Fidonet correspondent should address a net-mail message to UUCP (not your name) in the “to:” field. In the node-number field, they should type in the node number of the Fidonet/UUCP gateway (if the gateway system is in the same regional network as their system, they need only type the last number, for example, 390 instead of 322/390). Then, the first line of the message has to be your Internet address, followed by a blank line. After that, the person can write the message and send it.
Because of the way Fidonet moves mail, it could take a day or two for a message to be delivered in either direction. Also, because many Fidonet systems are run as hobbies, it is considered good form to ask the gateway sysop’s permission if you intend to pass large amounts of mail back and forth. Messages of a commercial nature are strictly forbidden (even if it’s something the other person asked for). Also, consider it very likely that somebody other than the recipient will read your messages.
GEnie
To send mail to a GEnie user, add “@genie.geis.com” to the end of the GEnie user name, for example: walt@genie.geis.com.
MCIMail
To send mail to somebody with an MCIMail account, add “@mcimail.com to the end of their name or numerical address. For example:
555-1212@mcimail.com or
jsmith@mcimail.com
Note that if there is more than one MCIMail subscriber with that name, you will get a mail message back from MCI giving you their names and numerical addresses. You’ll then have to figure out which one you want and re-send the message.
From MCI, a user would type
Your Name (EMS)
at the “To:” prompt. At the EMS prompt, he or she would type internet followed by your Net address at the “Mbx:” prompt.
Prodigy
UserID@prodigy.com. Note that Prodigy users must pay extra for Internet e-mail.
Editors Note: Almost all of the On-Line services such as Prodigy, AOL are constantly changing the way they do fees and hours, so some of what we give in those areas will of course be open to constant change as they battle with each other over market share. This is much of what we have had nationwide since the AT & T breakup in the area of phone service. Just as soon as you think you have the best deal and long distance plan ….. you get an offer for another. All of the other information should be applicable for some time to come. FWD