Bringing the Messages Home

           Since you're back for installment #2, I'll assume you
     found some Conferences that looked interesting, and you would
     like to see if this offline mailreader thing is as easy as it
     sounded. Rest assured, it is.

          The basic idea with the message sytems, and the offline
     mailreader programs, is to allow the user to "configure" the
     Conferences he/she would like to read, collect all messages
     from these Conferences, compress them into a "mail packet",
     and download them onto the user's system for reading at any
     convenient time. Likewise, the user may then reply to any
     message, or originate a message in a particular Conference,
     then pack the replies and upload the mail packet back to the
     BBS message system for distribution.

          To get started, you will need to locate and download an
     offline mailreader program from your BBS. I am making a broad
     assumption that if your BBS carries any Nets, it will have a
     mailreader program. If not, you may have some luck in asking
     your SysOp to see if he/she can help.

          There are several good shareware mailreader programs,
     and they are very widely available. Look for a file with
     SLMR, BLUEWAVE, or JABR in the name by doing a system-wide
     file search for those letters in the file name. (An open text
     search for "mailreader" should also get you there quickly.)
     They are all capable programs for handling your mail packets,
     and they offer very similar features. The Silly Little Mail
     Reader is a favorite of many because it is so easy to get
     configured, but all are fairly easy to set up.

          Two or three things to watch for in setting up the
     mailreader program; be sure to find the "Files" set up
     section so you can tell the reader where to look for your
     downloaded mail packets. This will be the path for anything
     you download, and it is typically the communication software
     partition, subpartition [DOWNLOAD].

          Another important item to check for is the "packer /
     unpacker" used by the mailreader. Mailreaders can normally
     use either an "internal" archiving program (like PKZIP), or
     will allow you to specify another packer elsewhere on your
     system. Of course, the archiving program used by your
     mailreader must be the same as that used by your BBS to
     compress the mail packets. Some of the older copies of these
     mailreader programs have older copies of an archiver built
     in, and this can prevent unpacking your mail packet after
     downloading.

          Many of the mailreaders come complete with a "sample"
     message packet that allows you to see how the operation
     works, and there are a number of other adjustments and fine
     tuning options available in most mailreaders. Those can be
     modified as you begin to get familiar with the program, and
     you will quickly see many sorting, saving, and editing
     features available for individual messages. Look around in
     your sample packet, and you should be pretty comfortable with
     the basics in short order.

          Once your mailreader program is ready, the next step is
     to logon to your BBS and "configure" your mail packet. To
     keep from getting too confusing, we will be looking at the
     standard QWK mail packeting systems. QWK is a very popular
     echomail format, and there are dozens (if not hundreds !) of
     Nets using this format. If your BBS uses a different echomail
     program, a quick check with your SysOp should explain any
     particular variations from the QWK process.

          Moving to the Message section of your BBS, you should
     find a selection noting a "Mail Door", "Q Mail", "TomCat
     Mail", or some indication of a "mail system". This selection
     will move you to a menu allowing several specific actions for
     downloading mail, uploading replies, and configuring your
     mail packet.

          Many of the BBS programs allow you to download
     bulletins, BBS screens, new file lists, and other items,
     along with your mail packet. For our purposes, we want to
     focus on the messages, and you will need to select the
     "Configure Conferences", or "Set Conference Ques" item.

          In the Configure Conferences mode, you will be able to
     view all the available Conferences, pick those you would like
     to follow, and set your message number pointers. Choosing the
     first Conference you would like to download, you will likely
     have the opportunity to tell the system you would like to
     download "all" messages in this Conference, or only your
     "personal" messages (those addressed to you). To get started,
     choose "all".

          Next, you will be prompted for where to set your message
     "pointer". Each message received by the host BBS is numbered
     sequentially, and you will be shown the "high message number"
     so you can set your pointer number as close to it as you
     like. For example, let's say you select the Music Conference,
     and the system tells you the high message number is 1,284,
     and that your pointer is currently set at 0. By entering
     1,200, you will receive the remaining 84 messages in your
     first packet, and the system will then automatically reset
     your pointer to 1,284.

          This allows the message system to keep track of the last
     message number you downloaded, and prevent you from getting
     repeated messages everytime you download your mail packet.
     When you download a packet, the system acknowledges a
     successful download, and then advises it is updating your
     message pointers.

          You may, at any later date, reconfigure your pointer
     value to any number in the range of current messages. This
     lets you avoid downloading an enormous packet when you return
     from several days away from the mail system. On a very active
     Net, the messages for some Conferences can run into 200, or
     more, each day. A week of vacation, and you could return to
     1500 (+) messages for a single Conference !

          While in the Configure area of the mail system, you may
     also set your download protocol, and this should have you
     ready to download your first mail packet.

          Backing out of the "Configure Conferences" mode, you
     should be back to the mail system's main menu, where you may
     select "Download a Packet", or a similar option. This
     selection should put in motion the system's automatic scan of
     your selected Conferences, and proceed with collecting all
     those messages above your pointer number value. Once
     collected, you should be prompted for the O.K. to continue
     with the packing and download of the packet onto your system.

          If all goes well, you should have received the messages
     in the Conferences you selected, and after logging off the
     BBS, you can "open" the packet with your mailreader program.

          When you open the packet, there will probably be a
     listing of all the Net Conferences carried by your BBS, with
     a small symbol next to the ones you selected, and a message
     count for those Conferences in this packet. By highlighting
     one of the Conferences showing some messages, you should be
     able to select "Index", and see a listing of all messages,
     with the message date, "From" and "To" names, and the subject
     header. Selecting a message to be read, you should then see
     the full message, and an option menu, including "reply".

          Depending on how far you got into the various options in
     setting up your mailreader, choosing "reply" may result in
     several particular possibilities in the reply mode, but it
     will quote all of the original message, which may be edited
     as you like, while you enter your reply. As you become more
     familiar with the program, you may find it to your liking to
     modify some of the settings, but in general, it is customary
     to leave in at least the pertinate parts of the original
     message to tie to your reply.

          Do keep in mind that your reply messages become part of
     the total mail packet, and some attention to not re-sending
     the entire original message, taglines, signoffs, and all, is
     appreciated. Long distance phone charges are a consideration,
     and as every Net SysOp knows, they are often a fact of life
     if Nets are a part of their BBS.

          There are many elements of Echomail Nets, mailreaders,
     messages, and replies that we don't have room to cover here,
     but most importantly, don't be bashful !! Give it a try, and
     don't hesitate to ask for help if you hit a snag. One or two
     packets and replies, and you will quickly find yourself
     handling mail packets as easily as you handle your postage.

          There are a bunch of great folks out there, with
     interests and concerns very much like your own. Echomail
     offers you the opportunity to be in touch with them, learn a
     great deal, and enjoy exchanging ideas and opinions.

          In future columns, we will be looking at some of the
     little idiosyncracies that have popped up in Echomail
     exchanges over the years. Echomailers have developed some
     ingenious ways of communicating beyond the basic message, and
     the printed word, and we'll be looking at two or three of
     them in particular. We'll also be back to the mailreader for
     a look at some of the great little features that most users
     soon come to appreciate.

     Randy Britt, Contributing Editor
     InterNational Online Magazine