The ABCs of
`
`Christian (rumlish
`
`“Wlnternet
`
`
`
`
`Make the
`
`Most of Your
`
`Time Online
`
` READY, SET, 60. .
`
`.
`
`1
`
`BLACKBERRY 2015
`FACEBOOK V. BLACKBERRY
`|PR2019-00925
`
`1
`
`BLACKBERRY 2015
`FACEBOOK V. BLACKBERRY
`IPR2019-00925
`
`

`

`The ABCs of the
`Internet
`
`To John:
`
`Congratulations on
`!
`your 70th birthday!!! !
`From your friends at the
`"POOL"
`
`Joan and Fred,
`
`Dot And Harry,
`
`Vera And Vera,
`Margaret and Bob.
`
`2
`
`

`

`The MB of the
`
`~ Internet
`
`(hristian (rumlish
`
`Il
`
`.‘
`
`SYBEX®
`
`San Francisw - Paris - Diisseldorf - Soest
`
`3
`
`

`

`
`
`Associate Publisher: Carrie Lavine
`
`Acquisitions Manager: Kristine Plachy
`Developmental Editor: Dan Brodnitz
`Editor: Lee Ann Pickrell
`Technical Editor: Sandra Teng
`Book Design Director: Catalin Dulfu
`Book Designer: Design Site, Tracy Dean
`Desktop Publisher: GetSetl PrePress
`Production Coordinators: Alexa Riggs, Robin Kibby
`Indexer: Ted Laux
`Cover Designer: Design Site
`Cover Photographer: Dennis O’Clair, photograph furnished by Tony Stone Images
`
`Screen reproductions produced with Collage Complete.
`
`Collage Complete is a trademark of Inner Media Inc.
`
`SYBEX is a registered trademark of SYBEX Inc.
`
`TRADEMARKS: SYBEX has attempted throughout this book to distinguish proprietary trademarks from descriptive terms
`by following the capitalization style used by the manufacturer.
`
`Netscape Communications, the Netscape Communications logo, Netscape, and Netscape Navigator are trademarks
`of Netscape Communications Corporation.
`
`Every effort has been made to supply complete and accurate information. However, SYBEX assumes no responsibility
`for its use, nor for any infringement of the intellectual property rights of third parties which would result from such use.
`
`Photographs and illustrations used in this book have been downloaded from publicly accessible file archives and are
`used in this book for news reportage purposes only to demonstrate the variety of graphics resources available via
`electronic access. Text and images available over the Internet may be subject to copyright and other rights owned by third
`parties. Online availability of text and images does not imply that they may be reused without the permission of rights
`holders, although the Copyright Act does permit certain unauthorized reuse as fair use under I7 U.S.C. Section 107.
`
`An earlier version of this book was published under the title A Guided Tour of the Internet ©I995 SYBEX Inc.
`Copyright ©I996 SYBEX Inc.,
`I 15I Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 945OI . World rights reserved. No part of this
`publication may be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or reproduced in any way, including but not limited to
`photocopy, photograph, magnetic or other record, without the prior agreement and written permission of the publisher,
`
`Library of Congress Card Number: 96-67838
`ISBN: 0-7821-1887-9
`
`Manufactured in the United States of America
`
`10987654?
`
`4
`
`

`

`To the Merry Punsters
`
`(NTAP)
`
`5
`
`

`

`Contents at a Glance
`
`Introduction ............................................... xvi
`
`Chapter 1: Just Enough to Get Started ........................... 1
`
`Chapter 2: Sending and Receiving E—Mail ........................ 19
`
`Chapter 3: Making the Most of E-Mail .......................... 45
`
`Chapter 4: Browsing the Web ................................ 60
`
`Chapter 5: Finding Stuff on the Net ............................ 97
`
`Chapter 6: Plugging In to Multimedia .......................... 120
`
`Chapter 1: Getting on Mailing Lists ............................ 139
`
`Chapter 8: Usenet News—Read All about It ..................... 151
`
`Chapter 9: Chatting on the IRC .............................. 205
`
`Chapter 10: WP and Telnet—the Transporter Beams ............. 219
`
`Chapter 11: Gopher and Gopherspace ........................ 239
`
`Chapter 12: Making a Simple Home Page ...................... 261
`
`Appendix A: Getting Connected and Getting Started ............. 275
`
`Appendix B: Glossary of Internet Terms ........................ 287
`
`Index ................................................... 333
`
`6
`
`

`

`
`
`Table of Contents
`
`Introduction...........................................xvi
`
`(hapterl:lustEnouqhtoGetStartedI
`
`What Is the Internet? ........................................... 2
`E—Mail and a Whole Lot More ................................. 2
`The Web Is Not the Net, or Is It? ............................... 4
`Getting on the Internet ......................................... 9
`
`Accessing the Net at Work .................................... 9
`Accessing the Net at Home ................................. IO
`The Internet Doesn’t Care What Kind of Computer You Use ......... I3
`What You Can Do on the Net .................................. I3
`
`A Few Words about Internet Addresses .......................... 15
`
`(hapter 2: Sending and Receiving E-Mail .....................l9
`
`Working with E-Mail .......................................... 21
`Running a Mail Program .................................... 2I
`Sending Mail .............................................. 23
`Reading Mail .............................................. 25
`Replying to Mail ........................................... 26
`Deleting Mail ............................................. 29
`Exiting a Mail Program ...................................... 29
`Using Specific E-Mail Programs ................................. 30
`America Online ........................................... 3O
`
`cc:Mail ................................................... 32
`
`CompuServe .............................................. 32
`Eudora ................................................... 34
`
`Microsoft Exchange ........................................ 36
`NetCruiser ................................................ 37
`
`Netscape Mail ............................................. 38
`
`7
`
`

`

`1_________
`
`Pegasus Mail .............................................. 40
`Pine ..................................................... 41
`
`(hapter3:MakinqtheMostofE—Mail 1.5
`
`Mail—Sending Tricks ........................................... 46
`Forwarding Mail ........................................... 46
`Sending Mail to Multiple Recipients ........................... 46
`Filing E—Mail Messages ...................................... 47
`Using Your Word Processor to Write E-Mail Messages .............. 47
`Sending Files via E—Mail ....................................... 49
`Saving E-Mail Addresses ...................................... 50
`Checking Your Spelling in E—Mail Messages ....................... 50
`Attaching a Signature to an E—Mail Message ...................... 51
`Finding Internet E-Mail Addresses ............................... 52
`Say ”Send Me E-Mail" ...................................... 52
`Send Mail to Postmaster@ .................................. 52
`Ask the Knowbot .......................................... 52
`
`More E-Mail with Specific Programs ............................. 54
`AOL ..................................................... 54
`
`cc:Mail ................................................... 55
`
`CompuServe .............................................. 56
`Eudora ................................................... 58
`
`MS Exchange ............................................. 6O
`NetCruiser ................................................ 6i
`
`Netscape Mail ............................................. 62
`Pegasus Mail .............................................. 63
`Pine ..................................................... 64
`
`(hapterli:BrowsinqtheWeb60
`
`Web Addresses (U RLs) ....................................... 71
`Different Types of Web Browsers ............................... 71
`Using Web Browsers ......................................... 73
`Reading a Page in a Web Browser ............................ 74
`Following a Link ........................................... 75
`
`8
`
`

`

`
`
`Knowing Where to Go ...................................... 76
`Making a Bookmark ........................................ 76
`Saving or Mailing a Document ............................... 76
`Peeking behind the Scenes ................................. 77
`Changing Your Home Page .................................. 78
`Web Help and Info ......................................... 78
`Keeping Up with What’s New ................................ 78
`Surfing the Web with Your Web Browser ......................... 79
`
`Browsing the Web with AOL ................................. 79
`Browsing the Web with CompuServe Mosaic ................... 80
`Browsing the Web with Lynx ................................. 83
`Browsing the Web with Microsoft Internet Explorer .............. 87
`Browsing the Web with Mosaic .............................. 90
`Browsing the Web with NetCruiser ........................... 92
`Browsing the Web with Netscape Navigator .................... 94
`
`(hapterS:FindinqStuffontheNet97
`
`Searching the Web ........................................... 98
`Searching through a Directory ............................... 98
`Searching with a Search Engine ............................. 102
`Visiting a Central Search Page .............................. 105
`Some Search Addresses ................................... 108
`
`Downloading Files and Keeping Your Software Up-to-Date ......... 109
`Looking for People on the Internet ............................. 110
`Using Whois ............................................. 111
`Using WhoWhere? ........................................ 1 12
`Searching off the Web ....................................... 113
`Searching Usenet ......................................... 114
`Searching Copherspace ................................... 1 15
`Searching University Libraries ............................... 116
`
`(hapter6:PquqinqlntoMultimedia IZO
`
`Downloading and Installing Applications ........................ 122
`Different Ways to View Other Media ........................... 123
`Viewers and Players ....................................... 123
`Helper Applications ....................................... 124
`
`
`
`9
`
`

`

`L—_______—
`
`Plug-Ins ................................................. 124
`The Types of Media out There ................................ 125
`Pictures ................................................. 125
`
`Sounds and Music ........................................ 126
`
`Movies and Animations .................................... 128
`
`3D Environments ......................................... 129
`
`Document/Mixed-Media Formats ........................... 130
`Interactive Programs and Multimedia Presentations ............ 131
`Staying Informed about the Latest Advances .................... 131
`Multimedia for Specific Browsers .............................. 132
`AOL’s Web Browser ....................................... 132
`
`CompuServe Mosaic ...................................... 132
`Lynx (Don’t Laugh!) ....................................... 132
`Microsoft Internet Explorer ................................. 132
`Mosaic .................................................. 133
`
`NetCruiser ............................................... 134
`
`Netscape Navigator ....................................... 135
`
`(hapterl:GettinqonMailingLists.........................l39
`
`Finding Mailing Lists ......................................... 141
`A General List of Lists ..................................... 141
`
`Specific Lists of Lists ...................................... 142
`Subscribing to Lists .......................................... 144
`People-Administered Lists ................................. 145
`Robot-Administered Lists .................................. 145
`
`Canceling Your Subscription .................................. 146
`People—Administered Lists ................................. 146
`Robot—Administered Lists .................................. 146
`
`Temporarily Unsubscribing ................................. 146
`Posting to Lists ............................................. 146
`Participating in a List ......................................... 147
`
`(hapter 8: Usenet News—Read All about It ...................l5l
`
`What Is Usenet? ............................................ 152
`
`Some Newsgroups Are Mailing Lists, Too ..................... 152
`
`10
`
`10
`
`

`

`
`
`Where Everybody Knows Your Signature ..................... 153
`What Is a Newsgroup? ..................................... 154
`What Is an Article? ........................................ 157
`
`What Is a Newsreader? .................................... 159
`
`Usenet as a Public Forum .................................... 159
`
`Semi-Anonymity on the Net ................................ 160
`Being a Good Netizen ..................................... 160
`Shooting Stars and netspewers ............................. 160
`Getting Help ............................................. 161
`The Quality of Usenet ..................................... 161
`How to Read Newsgroups ................................... 162
`Net News by Mail—If You Don’t Have Usenet Access ........... 163
`Newsreading Basics ....................................... 164
`Getting Help and Avoiding Problems ......................... 170
`Some Advanced Stuff You Should Know ..................... 170
`
`Reading News with Specific Newsreaders ....................... 171
`AOL .................................................... 172
`
`CompuServe ............................................ 174
`Microsoft Internet Explorer ................................. 178
`Mosaic .................................................. 181
`
`NetCruiser ............................................... 184
`
`Netscape News .......................................... 186
`NewsWatcher ............................................ 190
`
`News Xpress ............................................. 193
`Tin .........
`................... 196
`
`(hapter9:(hattinqontheIRC............................205
`
`How IRC Programs Work in General ........................... 207
`Chatting with Specific IRC Programs ........................... 209
`Chatting with Irc .......................................... 209
`Chatting with Ircle ........................................ 210
`Chatting with mIRC ....................................... 212
`Chatting with NetCruiser ................................... 213
`Chatting with Netscape Chat ............................... 215
`
`11
`
`11
`
`

`

`L——____
`
`
`
`(hapter IO: FTP and Telnet—the Transporter Beams ... .
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`. .Zl9
`
`FTP—the File Transfer Protocol ................................ 220
`
`How to Find FTP Sites ..................................... 220
`
`How to Do FFP in General ................................. 221
`
`FTP by E-Mail If You Don’t Have “Real" FFP ................... 223
`Transferring Files from a Unix Shell Account ................... 223
`FTP with Your Web Browser ................................ 227
`
`Specific l—TP Programs ..................................... 228
`Telnet—a Computer in Your Window ........................... 235
`Finding a Telnet Program .................................. 237
`Telnetting from Your Web Browser .......................... 237
`
`(hapterll:GopherandGopherspate 239
`
`What Is Gopher ............................................. 240
`Exploring Gopherspace ...................................... 241
`Browsing Gopherspace with Gopher ........................... 242
`Getting around the Menus ................................. 242
`Reading Documents ...................................... 243
`Getting to Another Gopher Sen/er ........................... 245
`Bookmarks in Gopherspace ................................ 246
`Quitting Gopher .......................................... 246
`Getting Help for Gopher ................................... 247
`Browsing Gopherspace with NetCruiser ........................ 247
`Getting around the Menus ................................. 247
`Reading Documents ...................................... 247
`Getting to Another Gopher Server ........................... 249
`Bookmarks in Gopherspace ................................ 250
`Quitting Gopher in NetCruiser .............................. 250
`Browsing Gopherspace with TurboGopher ...................... 250
`Getting around the Menus ................................. 250
`Reading Documents ...................................... 252
`Getting to Another Gopher Sen/er ........................... 252
`Bookmarks in Gopherspace ................................ 252
`Quitting TurboGopher ..................................... 253
`
`
`
`12
`
`12
`
`

`

`5—5“
`
`Getting Help ............................................. 253
`Browsing Gopherspace with your Web Browser .................. 253
`Getting around the Menus ................................. 253
`Reading Documents ...................................... 254
`Bookmarks in Gopherspace ................................ 254
`Browsing Gopherspace with WSGopher ........................ 255
`Getting around the Menus ................................. 256
`Reading Documents ...................................... 257
`Getting to Another Gopher Server ........................... 258
`Bookmarks in Gopherspace ................................ 258
`Quitting WSGopher ....................................... 258
`Getting Help for Gopher ................................... 258
`
`(hapterlZ:MakinanimplellomePaqe Z6l
`
`Creating a Home Page ....................................... 261
`Visiting the GNN Site ...................................... 263
`Going to the Template Page ................................ 264
`Saving the Template ...................................... 264
`Looking at the HTML Document ............................ 265
`Editing the HTML Document ............................... 267
`Putting in an Image and the Links ........................... 268
`Previewing the Home Page ................................ 269
`Finding a Home for Your Page ................................ 272
`
`Appendix A: Getting (onnected and Getting Help . . .
`
`. . .
`
`. .
`
`. . .
`
`. . 275
`
`Different Types of Connections ................................ 276
`Equipment You'll Need ...................................... 277
`Hardware ............................................... 277
`
`Software ................................................ 278
`
`Going Online with a Macintosh ................................ 279
`Finding a Service Provider .................................... 280
`The Chicken or the Egg ...................................... 281
`Getting Started ............................................. 283
`Logging In ............................................... 283
`You're on the Net ........................................ 283
`
`13
`
`13
`
`

`

`F'I'
`
`L—_
`
`Dealing with Problems ....................................... 284
`Stop This Crazy Thing! ..................................... 284
`Getting Help ............................................. 285
`
`Appendix B: Glossary of Internet Terms . .
`
`.
`
`.
`
`. . .
`
`. . .
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`. . . . . .287
`
`Index .....
`
`...... .333
`
`
`
`14
`
`14
`
`

`

`
`
`15
`
`15
`
`

`

`
`
`MAKING THE
`
`MOST OF [-MAIl
`
`
`
`
`lie—l N G.- ’
`r. E A .1.‘ u...
`
`o
`
`Fonrvarding mail and sending it to
`multiple recipients
`
`o Composing mail messages in your word
`processing program
`
`. Sending attachments with your messages
`.
`Saving e-mail messages and addresses
`
`Spell-checking an e-mail message
`0
`. Attaching a signature to mail messages
`o
`Finding Internet e-mail addresses
`
`After you know the basics of e-mail—sending, reading, and replying to messages—
`there are a few more things you’ll want to know about that will come in very
`handy as you start communicating over the Internet.
`
`16
`
`16
`
`

`

`‘l
`
`
`
`‘
`
`“IChapterThree
`
`Mail-Sending Tricks
`
`So you know how to send messages and how to reply to them, but there are a few
`more tricks in the basic e-mail grab bag—namely, forwarding a message on to a new
`recipient, sending mail to more than one person at a time, and saving old messages
`somewhere besides in your ln box.
`
`Forwarding Mail
`If someone sends you mail and you’d like to send a copy of it to someone else,
`with most mail programs, you can select a Fon/vard command. (Never send mail to a
`third party without the express permission of the original sender.)
`The Fon/vard command is often near (such as on the same menu as) the Reply
`command, and it works in almost the same way. The difference is that your mail pro-
`gram won’t insert the original sender’s e-mail address into the T0: line. Instead it will
`be blank, as in a new message. But the original message will be automatically
`included in the new message, often with some characters (like the standard ”>”
`lnternet e-mail quoting character) or other formatting to distinguish it from what you
`yourself write.
`To forward a message, type the recipient’s name on the To: line and then Tab your
`way down to the message area. Edit the message and/or add your own note, perhaps
`an explanation of why you are fon/varding the message, to the beginning. Then send
`the message as usual.
`
`Sending Mail to Multiple Recipients
`Sometimes you’ll want to send a message to more than one recipient. You can
`usually do this in one of several ways. l\/lost programs allow you to list multiple recipi-
`ents in the T0: line, usually separated by commas (some programs require that you
`use a different character, such as a semicolon, to separate addresses). Most also have
`a Cc: line which, so far, I’ve suggested you just Tab right past to get to the message
`area. As with traditional paper office memos, the Cc: line, in an e-mail message is for
`people who you want to receive a copy of the message, but who are not the primary
`recipient.
`Some programs also offer a Bcc: line, which lets you list one or more people to
`receive blind copies of that message. This means that the primary (and Ccz) recipients
`will not see the names of people receiving blind copies.
`
`17
`
`17
`
`

`

` Making the Most of E-Mm
`
`headers are too long.
`
`You can typically include as many names on the Cc: line as you
`want, but some mail servers will choke on a message if its
`
`Filing [—Mail Messages
`Even after you have deleted all the messages you’ve replied to or no longer need
`to leave lying around in your In box, your undeleted messages can start to pile up.
`When your In box gets too full, it’s time to create new mailboxes to store those other
`messages in. Different programs offer different commands for creating mailboxes and
`transferring messages into them, but the principles are more or less the same as
`those used for real—life filing. Don’t create a new mailbox when an existing mailbox will
`suffice, but do file away as many messages as you can (even if you have to create a
`new mailbox to do so), to keep your In box a manageable size.
`
`messages to sort.
`
`Your email should conform to your general scheme of organi-
`zation. I arrange mine alphabetically, chronologically, and/or by
`project. depending on the person involved. Think about the best
`
`system for you before you find your In box filled with 200
`
`Using Your Word Processor to
`Write E-Mail Messages
`If you’re more comfortable writing in a word processing program than you are
`writing in your e-mail program, you can write your message there, copy it using the
`Copy command, and then switch to your e—mail program and paste it into a new mes—
`sage window.
`
`18
`
`
`
`
`18
`
`

`

`"I (hapter Three
`
`If you're writing your message in a word processing program and
`
`your message to ensure that your lines aren't too long.
`
`planning to eventually insert it into an e-mail program that
`
`doesn't do word-wrapping. use a large font size when you write
`
`One problem with putting word—processed text into e—mail messages is that some
`word processors substitute special characters for apostrophes and quotation marks.
`These special characters come out as garbage characters that make your mail harder
`to read. Also, there are sometimes problems with line breaks, either with lines being
`too long or with extraneous "lVl characters appearing at the end of each line.
`After composing your message, first save it as a text file. Figure 3.1 shows a text file
`| created in Word for Windows 95. Then close the file and open it again. To ensure
`
`I‘m sending you another sample message. I hope you don’t mind. I’m
`showing 110w a message can be typed up in a word pmcessor (in this case,
`Woml for Windows 95), saved as a text file, and then selected, copied, and
`pasted into a new e-mail message window. Doesn’t that sound fascinating?
`
`line breaks should be okay, because they’re “haid.”
`
`Saving this message as a text file gets Iide of the “smart quotation marks,”
`which would look funny after the message passes over the Intemet. Also, the
`
`FIGURE 3.1:
`
`I created this file in Word for Windows 95. NOW I’m going to save it as a text file.
`
`that none of the special (nontext) characters are still in the file. Select the entire docu-
`ment and copy it (usually you press Ctrl+C or Command+C to do this). Then switch
`
`
`
`;—__
`
`19
`
`
`
`19
`
`

`

`"f
`
`
`
`Making the Most of E-Mail
`
`to your mail program. Start the message, go to the message area, and then paste the
`text you copied (usually you press Ctrl+V or Command+V).
`The text will appear in the mail program as if you had typed it there.
`
`Sending Files via E—Mail
`
`One of the most important functions of e-mail is its ability to let you send files
`called attachments along with your messages. An attachment is any data file, in any
`form, which your program will send along with your e-mail message. Each program is
`different in the way it handles file attachments, and some of the online services still
`don’t let you send or receive files over the Internet. Also, since different programs
`have different ways of encoding attached files (translating the files into a form that
`can be shipped over the Internet), you may have to compare details with your sender
`or recipient to make sure that both of your programs can ”speak” the same code. For
`example, a big part of the revision of this book involved transferring files between a
`Macintosh running one version of Eudora and my PC, which was running another ver-
`sion, and it took several file transfers before things worked seamlessly.
`Internet mail generally consists of only straight text files, although there are some
`protocols for sending other forms of information. For example, some mail programs
`use MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) to send other kinds of data, includ-
`ing color pictures, sound files, and video clips.
`If you are sent e—mail with a MIME
`attachment, you may not be able to see the pictures, hear the music, or view the
`movies, but the text in the attachment should come through just fine. You'll be asked
`
`if you want to view it or save it.
`Quite aside from e-mail issues, you might be trying to send a file that your recipient
`doesn’t have the right application for reading, so that’s another thing you may have to
`work out in advance. For example, if you use Word for the Macintosh and your
`recipient uses WordPerfect for DOS, let’s say, then you may have to save your file in
`a format that your recipient's program can understand; this may involve both of you
`poking around your program’s Open and Save As commands to see what options
`are available.
`
`When you receive a file attachment, your e-mail program will usually decode it and
`tell you where it’s been placed (unless it doesn't recognize the coding format, in which
`case you’ll get a bunch of garbage at the end of the message and no file attachment—
`if this happens, you need to negotiate with the sender as | just discussed).
`
`20
`
`20
`
`

`

`u:' (hapter Three
`
` IEMflII
`
`See Chapter II] to learn about some of the other ways to send
`and receive files.
`
`Saving E—Mail Addresses
`
`If there are people with whom you correspond regularly through e-mail or people
`whose e—mail addresses are hard to remember or difficult to type correctly, most
`e-mail programs enable you to create aliases (sometimes called nicknames) for
`these people. Aliases are shorter words that you type instead of the actual address.
`Other programs offer you an address book with which you can save e—mail addresses
`and other information about your correspondents.
`When you type an alias or choose a name from an address book, your e—mail pro-
`gram inserts the correct address into the T0: line of your message (some programs
`can also insert an address into the Cc: line).
`You can also set up an alias for a list of addresses so you can send mail to a group
`of people all at once. I've got an alias for a group of people to whom I send silly stuff
`| find on the Net (no one’s complained yet) and another one for contributors to my
`online magazine.
`
`When you make up a nickname or alias for an e-mail address,-
`
`K
`
`keep it short—the whole point is to save you some typing—and
`
`try to make it memorable (although you can always look itup if
`you forget).
`
`Checking Your Spelling in E-Mail
`Messages
`
`l\/lost e—mail programs now offer spell-checking (so the traditional excuses for slop-
`pily edited e—mail messages are vanishing fastl), but the specific techniques vary from
`
`
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`21
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`21
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`

`

`Making the Most of E-Mail I.
`
`program to program (as you might expect). It’s a good idea to check the spelling in a
`message before sending it, especially if the message is long, formal, or for some busi—
`ness purpose.
`
`of this chapter.
`
`For more {in using e-m'ail. withaspgflfimmmméfllptntheand
`
`If you write your messages ahead of time using a word processing program, then
`you can use your word processor’s spell checker to check the message. You may find
`this easier than working with two different spell checkers.
`
`Attaching a Signature to an E-Mail
`Message
`
`On the Internet, its traditional to include a short signature at the end of each mes—
`sage. A signature is a few lines of text, usually including your name, sometimes your
`postal (snail mail) address, and perhaps your e-mail address. Many people also
`include quotations, jokes, gags, and so on. Signatures (also called s/g blocks, signa-
`ture fr/es, signatures, or .s/gs) are a little like bumper stickers in this respect.
`Some e—mail programs do not support signature files, particularly those designed
`for local networks and those of some online sen/ices where signatures are less com—
`mon, but many do and more are adding the feature all the time. Here’s my current
`signature (I change it from time to time):
`
`Christian Crumlish
`
`http://www-pobox-com/~xian
`
`Internet Systems Experts (SYX)
`
`http://www-syx-com
`
`Enterzone (latest episode)
`
`http://ezone-org/ez
`
`American Arts and Letters Network
`
`http://www-aaln-org
`
`It includes my name; the address of my home page on the Web; the name of my
`company and its home pages address; and the name of my online magazine, along with
`its address.
`
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`22
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`22
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`

`

`fl (hapter Three
`
`I’ll show you how to create your own signature when I discuss the specific pro—
`grams that support them.
`
`Finding Internet E-Mail Addresses
`
`Because the Internet is such a large, nebulous entity, there’s no single guaranteed
`way to find someone’s e—mail address, even if you’re fairly sure they have one. Still,
`if
`you’re looking for an address, here are a few things you can try.
`
`Say "Send Me E-Mail"
`If you’re not sure how to send mail to someone but you know they’re on the Net,
`ask them to send you some mail. Once their mail comes through okay, you should
`have a working return address. Either copy it and save it somewhere, make an alias
`for it, or just keep their mail around and reply to it when you want to send them mail
`(try to remember to change the subject line if appropriate, not that I ever do).
`
`business ”cards, so you'can get people’s addresses this way too.
`
`Really, the best way to collect e-mail addresses is from people I
`directly.- Many people new have'lh'eu email addresses on their
`
`Send Mail to Postmaster@
`
`If you know someone’s domain, such as the company where they work, or you know
`they're on one of the online services, you can try sending mail to pos tma ster‘fil
`address and asking politely for the e—mail address. Internet standards require that
`every network assign a real person to the postmaster@ address, someone who can
`handle questions and complaints. So, for example, to find someone at Pipeline,
`you could send mail to postmasterfilpipeline - com and askforthe person
`byname.
`
`Ask the Knowbot
`
`The Knowbot is a semireliable source of missing persons information. When you
`ask it for information, it conducts a few searches of its own and then mails the search
`
`results back to you.
`
`23
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`23
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`

`Making the Most of [-Mail
`
`You contact the Knowbot via e—mail, by sending a message to k i s E] n r‘i -
`r eston - va - us. it doesn’t matter what you put in the subject line of the
`message; however in the body of the message,
`type query firstname
`Iastname (you can also submit a query for an e—mail address or part of one, if you
`know it). You can include as many query lines as you like.
`
`To learn more about Knowbot, about how it works, and what else
`
`message. You'