@X07        @X0FWhat is offline mail?@X07
        @X0EÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ@X07

 @X0B       If you have never used an offline mail system, you are in for a@X07
        @X0Btreat.  Right now, you must stay connected to this bulletin@X07
        @X0Bboard system (@X0EBBS@X0B) in order to read and answer messages left by@X07
        @X0Bother users.@X07

        @X0BBut, what if you could quickly gather up all of the new messages@X07
        @X0Bin areas you are interested in following, hang up (@X0Eor spend the@X07
@X0E        rest of your time downloading new files@X0B) and then read these new@X07
        @X0Bmessages at your own pace?@X07

        @X0BYou telephone line would be free to receive incoming calls.  And@X07
        @X0Byou could take your time in reading the new messages and writing@X07
@X0B        any replies you wish to add.  The clock isn't "@X0Fticking@X0B" when it@X07
@X0B        comes to reading your messages.@X07

        @X0BWell, this is exactly what offline mail reading is all about.@X07
        @X0BAnother good way to think about offline mail is to think of it@X07
        @X0Blike taping a television program on your VCR.  Offline mail@X07
        @X0Ballows you to read what you want WHEN you want to read it.  It@X07
        @X0Bis fast, quick and simple to use.@X07

        @X0BNot to mention a real money saver if you are placing a long@X07
        @X0Bdistance telephone call to the BBS.  Then offline mail isn't@X07
        @X0Bonly nice to use, it saves you direct dollars in your monthly@X07
        @X0Bphone bill.@X07

@X0B        The obvious question you might have now is "@X0EWhat do I give up@X07
@X0E        in order to use offline mail"?  @X0BNothing!  You have access to all@X07
        @X0Bof the messages you normally would read "@X0Eonline@X0B", except that@X07
        @X0Bthe "@X0Eoffline mail reader@X0B" program can arrange them in order by@X07
        @X0Btopic, time left, who wrote the messages, etc.  You really@X07
        @X0Bcannot do this when reading messages online.  The facilities are@X07
        @X0Bjust not available.  Also, you can scan the new messages for@X07
        @X0Bcertain "@X0Ekeywords@X0B" and have only those messages displayed to@X07
        @X0Byou.  Try doing that online!@X07


        @X0FWhat is QWK?@X07
        @X0EÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ@X07

        @X0BIf you have heard much about offline mail before you have@X07
        @X0Bprobably heard of the term "@X0EQWK@X0B".  The letters do not stand for@X07
        @X0Banything, but rather it is a phonetic short-hand for the word@X07
        @X0B"@X0EQuick@X0B", as in "@X0EQuickMail@X0B".@X07

        @X0BThe QWK system was created by @X0FMark "Sparky" Herring@X0B back in@X07
        @X0BOctober of 1987 in Memphis, Tennessee.  Dan Mascheck, a friend@X07
        @X0Bof Sparky's, had moved from Memphis to Wharton, Texas, a small@X07
        @X0Blittle town 60 miles outside of Houston.  Dan was a big fan of@X07
        @X0Breading messages on bulletin boards and the long distance phone@X07
        @X0Bbills were killing him - calling back to Memphis to read the@X07
        @X0Bmessages from his old systems.@X07

        @X0BSparky remembered an idea he had back in 1985 and began work on@X07
        @X0Bthe QWK format to save Dan the phone bills (and who knows, maybe@X07
        @X0Beven his marriage!).  The idea was to bundle the new messages@X07
        @X0Bvery quickly for Dan, let him transfer them into his own@X07
        @X0Bcomputer, hang up, and then read them without staying connected@X07
        @X0Band paying money to the telephone company.@X07

        @X0BInitial versions worked pretty well...and as Sparky continued@X07
        @X0Bwork on the system for Dan other sysops (people who run bulletin@X07
        @X0Bboards) would ask if they could purchase a copy of the software@X07
        @X0Bwhen it was finished for their own system.@X07

        @X0BSo Sparky (and Sparkware, his company) released the first QWK@X07
        @X0Boffline mail reader on April 15th, 1988.  Since that time mail@X07
        @X0Breading has never been the same.  Doing it "offline" is the only@X07
        @X0Bway to read messages.  QWK brought about that revolution.@X07


        @X0FSo what does offline mail do for me?@X07
        @X0EÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ@X07

        @X0BIf you are looking to maximize your "online" time to a BBS, the@X07
        @X0Bonly way to do it is to read your new messages "offline".  This@X07
        @X0Blets you spend more time downloading files from the bulletin@X07
        @X0Bboard system.  Or, if you are calling long distance, save you@X07
        @X0Bmoney on your next phone bill.  It can also organize your@X07
        @X0Bmessage reading so you can get the most from it.  If you own a@X07
        @X0Bportable computer you can take your new messages and read them@X07
        @X0Bat the park...or in an airplane at 30,000 feet!@X07

        @X0BSimply put, offline @X0F*IS*@X0B the only way to go!@X07