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Why UNIX Based E-Mail?

Why do I require that you use Nova, or in some cases Polaris depending on the class, for the exchange of class e-mail?

Among the reasons for this are:
  1. You can't pick up a virus if you don't download a file to your machine. A very important consideration these days. UNIX mail stays up on the server. It is not downloaded to your PC.

  2. Some spammers are using "web bugs," 1x1 transparent GIF images embedded in HTML formatted e-mail.

    If a spammer sends you HTML mail with a [web bug] graphic in it, they can then track who opens the email. The graphic can have a unique name that can be used to identify who it went to. Now the spammer knows what your email address is, they know that you have an HTML- enabled email program [like Eudora or Outlook], and they know that you read spam messages.

    Simply by opening a HTML formatted malevolent message, not an attachment, you can generate more spam for yourself. UNIX mail does not use HTML format.

  3. UNIX has very flexible mail handling capability.

  4. There are all sorts of e-mail programs out there that produce strange results. We have enough to do without fooling with flaky mail programs. In addition to using the UNIX Pine e-mail program, it is easy enough to use whatever Windows program you wish to read/write UNIX based mail. Not that I think that this is a good idea. If you need to ask how, it might be well for you to use Pine up on the UNIX machine. Just type 'pine,' with no quotes of course, at the Nova prompt.

  5. It would seem that many of you choose 'handles.' Learning is hard enough without the need to remember who Landshark et al. is.

  6. Having all your class mail safely stored on the UMUC servers means that you can access this material from any where in the world using any computer with Net access.

  7. Exchanging e-mail on the same server certainly is fast and reliable. In addition, with our closed system, we do not need to deal with spam and other malevolent software.

  8. Knowing a bit of UNIX leads to computer literacy. Further since much of the Web is run using UNIX, or Linux, a first cousin, some knowledge of these operating systems is useful. See UNIX help for users for a good basic UNIX reference.

Another thought ...

No attachments please!

There is hardly ever a reason to 'attach' a text document to an e-mail message because ...
  1. Attachments, carry viruses.

  2. It takes much more effort to process (i.e., virus scan, read, archive et al.) an attached files.

  3. You can't be sure that all of your recipients have the PC program needed to process your PC file. Until recently, I did not have Word.

  4. Many people do not have mail clients that can process attachments. Not all students live in the US, where money seems never to be an object.

  5. Many people do not know how to handle mail attachments.
If you really, really must format your data, say via a complex table, why not put it up on a Web page and direct your reader to it? Adobe Acrobat handles spreadsheets and such quite well. It is also easy to upload PowerPoint presentations.

If you are using Pine for a mail client on our UNIX machines you may 'cut' an uploaded text file into a message via Ctrl-R. Most modern Telnet programs support zmodem so a simple 'rz' uploads a file. The usual Windows copy and paste also works. Both for uploading, and for copy and pasting, be sure to use plain text (ASCII) files. If you would like more information or have further questions re: attachments, uploading et al. please let me know. For more information on Pine visit the University of Washington Pine information site. For more information on using Telnet check the Numbered Account Access page.

That said, if you really, really hate UNIX (Pine) mail there are a couple of things you can do that I will reluctantly accept.

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