After much kicking and screaming, I reluctantly succumbed to utilizing electronic mail (e-mail). Mind you, this is after years of people giving me their e-mail addresses, asking me if I had one, and then telling me that they would write more often if I had an e-mail address, et cetera.
Well, I finally found an occasion while I was at my local branch of the Albuquerque Public Library where e-mail is verboten when I wanted to e-mail someone to comment on their Etruscan web site. Mind you, I lost that e-mail address, and I will have to return to the library to get it sometime in the future … but, that can wait.
Being from the Chicago-school of Sinclair computing where cheaper is better, when I heard that there was at least one free e-mail service exclusive of other Internet features, I figured that it was the one for me. The first one that I had heard of and the one that I am currently signed up with is JUNO.COM.
Surf’s Up
The first thing you have to do to access a free e-mail service is to locate them. This is most easily done by surfing the WEB. Of course, if you have WEB access then you probably have e-mail unless you are using a friend’s access (their computer), the local library, or whiling-away your hours at a cyber-cafe.
Well, I knew the service was called JUNO.COM, so the presumption was that the Internet address would be the same. It is. Using almost any Web browser (I don’t know if QMOSAIC will work, however) you can read the necessary information that tells you that you can either down-load the software for free (I think they estimated a half hour download using a 28.8K modem), or have them send you a disk ($8.82) if you call them at 1-800-378-5866 and give them your credit card number. I’m sure they take checks, but the process is obviously delayed.
Juno would appear to always be releasing upgrades of its software. I do know that the version which I received (1.38) is not the one I read about in May (1.23).
Newer isn’t always better. There is an annoying flaw in the version that I received whereby the “dial-up” sequence is apparently corrupted by the “incoming data upgrade.” This took me several days to figure out, and I suspect that many people who receive the Juno software never do. What it means is that each time I want to send or receive e-mail I have to re-initialize the dial-up sequence. This only takes a couple of minutes, but it is a nuisance.
Auto-Spam?
While Juno’s e-mail service is monetarily free, the price you pay is having ads “tossed” at you in a small window near the upper right hand corner.
This is not visually intrusive, but you will quickly understand why the minimum hardware recommendation is a 486 level PC since the speed of typing in e-mail reminded me of using any Windows-based word processor on my 20MHz 386. There is often a noticeable time lag between keyboard input and screen display.
The problem (?) with the ads is that information about the products is sparse. When you “click here” to find out more, you are given a minimal amount of information about the product and/or an order form. Advertisers would be wise to have an e-mail address so more information could be requested prior to ordering a product. I have not ordered anything, yet, though I have been tempted.
The Pluses …
I don’t know what the standard text editing features are like for CompuServe and AOL users, but I can tell you that Juno’s input box (for want of a better term) is actually a pretty good, but limited, word processor. [So is CompuServe’s. Ed.]
Editing is pretty much like on the few Windows word processors that I have used.
What you cannot do with Juno’s “word processor” is indicate fonts or font size. Considering the nature of e-mail, this makes sense to me. What is available is an easy to use Spell Checker which has the facility for a user’s dictionary.
E-mail addresses and recipient’s names are stored in an easy to use Address Book.
E-mail files can be stored in different, user-named folders or as “.txt” files. Similarly, “.txt” files can be imported into Juno’s software (with some limitations).
The Juno software has “help” files; but, I haven’t used them other than to try and resolve the “dial-up” problem.
Juno also has on-line, automated Tech help which you can e-mail and request “docs” that may-or-may-not help. This is an automated system and so using it is problematical. I only received one of the several “docs” that I requested … and finally, gave up and wrote a hard-copy letter indicating my problem and requesting a new copy of the software be sent “without charge” (we’ll see) since the one I was sent was flawed.
Requirements
You will need a PC running Windows 3.1 (or, later) and at least a 9600 BAUD modem.
Although I upgraded to a 33.6K BAUD modem, I received an automatic e-mail message on two separate occasions indicating that my transmission was at 2400 BAUD or slower … and, therefore unprocessed. The two times I received the message occurred after mid-day connections and apparently was the result of poor, local US West transmission which is only capable of a maximum 28.8K rate of transmission when everything is working properly. Check with your local phone company before buying a too-fast modem (i.e., 56.6K).
You will need about 10 Meg. of free space on your hard drive. I didn’t have this back in May; and, I had to wait until I bought a larger hard drive before acquiring-and-installing the software.
Limitations
Apparently, there is a maximum number of e-mail messages you can send or receive in a given period. I am basing this observation on a Returned Message which I had attempted to send to “[e-mail address omitted]” (Jeff DeCourtney). I don’t know what the limit is or if it is documented somewhere. I do know that I unexpectedly got the “unable to process” message which has previously come with a failed dial-up sequence in the past despite a connection “this” morning. Could I have exceeded my limit in just two weeks?
The speed of your PC may not matter. If you have a great deal of patience, then you can probably get by with a 386 level PC. If you don’t want to notice the intrusion of the ads, then you will probably want a 200 MHz 686! I am using a REV(ed)-TO-486 running at a theoretical (?!?) 64 MHz when the wind is blowing from the right direction.
Of course, you cannot e-mail FAXes, nor to that telephone e-mail thing with the current Juno software; and, you cannot use NETSCAPE’s software, EUDORA, or anything other than the software Juno provides when accessing juno.com (they do want to show you the underwriting ads, after all).
Early Conclusion
After being auto-SPAMmed, I don’t know what the complaint is about SPAMming. Oh sure, the download time is a little longer. And sure, there is the expectation of getting messages from friends or associates which you really want to read. But, with the Juno software it is easy enough to see from whom messages are sent, and messages are easily deleted. I would presume that the same is true with other e-mail software; and so, I (you will remember, I’m the critical one) would have to say that all those PC/MAC users are a bunch of whinny ninnies who pretentiously believe that their time away from game playing or their chat room sessions (which is apparently where SPAMmers pick up most of their “victims'” addresses) is diminished. Give me a break. There is no “real” equation between SPAMming and junk FAXes or tele-marketing calls at dinner time (which is what the poor, delusionally oppressed SPAMmees feel) … only a very weak analogy.
So, while the jury should probably stay out a little longer, I would hazard to suggest that if you can live with the fore-mentioned limitations and flaws, then JUNO.COM is an acceptable e-mail provider for those who do not already have an Internet service provider or feel a need to go WEB surfing every day.
HAPPY TRAILS,
AND COMPUTING, TO YOU ….