email

There are a variety of programs which you can use to check e-mail. Select a topic from the list on the left for help getting started.

These programs can be divided into two categories: POP and non-POP.

POP mail programs, which include Eudora, PC-Pine, and Netscape Mail, reside as applications on your desktop machine. When you run the program, it quickly logs in to the WJH mail server, grabs your mail, and (by default) saves it to your computer's hard disk. A POP mail client would be a good choice for you if you read your mail from only one place (i.e. the computer in your office).

Other mail programs, such as Pine , reside on a remote computer (in our case, wjh). To access these mail clients, you can use Telnet (for Mac), Ewan or Crt (for PC) to login to wjh. Once you login and get to the C$ prompt, simply type "pine" or "elm." These mail clients work by periodically checking your mail spool (where your incoming mail is kept). By using one of these server-resident mail clients, you read your mail directly from the mail spool. Using one of these mail clients makes it easy to check your mail from more than one place (i.e. dialing in from home, from the computing center, and from the PC in your office).

There is no inherent advantage or disadvantage to either POP or non-POP mail clients. However, we suggest using a server-resident mail client if you plan to check mail from many different machines around campus or from home. Ultimately, however, it comes down to user preference. You might only check mail from your office PC and still prefer to use Pine or Elm. This is perfectly fine. Most WJH users prefer Pine because it is quick and fairly intuitive to use.