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Subject:accessing free email From:Matt Ion <soundy -at- SOUNDY -dot- ML -dot- ORG> Date:Thu, 5 Nov 1998 19:49:52 -0800
On Tue, 3 Nov 1998 08:28:29 -0700, TECHWR-L Administrator wrote:
>Please keep public postings narrowly focused on
>access to free email services and don't range too broadly
>into other areas.
I replied directly to the original poster, but I expect there are many of you
who may be in the same situation; indeed, I have a couple friends in other
fields of work but with the same problem (that is, accessing their email -
which is important to their jobs - from a variety of wide-ranging locations).
A couple options:
1. Get a web-based email account. Services like Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail, etc.
give you a mailbox and account on their systems, usually for free (you and
possibly your recipients have to put up with some banner advertising), and
allow you to access it via web-browser interface. If you'll be working in
companies that provide web access, or perhaps have friends locally with
Internet hookups, this can keep you in touch from just about anywhere at no
additional cost.
The drawbacks are the aforementioned advertising, plus the fact that these
services limit how much mail your mailbox will hold (either number of
messages, or total size) so they may not be appropriate for receiving mailing
lists. Also, because these accounts are so easy to get, spammers like to use
them, to the point that some admins have broadband filters to block the
entire site from their mailservers.
2. Get a provider with (inter)national POPs (points-of-presence). To drop a
few names: AOL or Compuserve should at least give you access from any of
their local dialups in your country of origin. IBM Global Network (aka
"Advantis) forgoes the "value-added service" concept and provides straight-up
internet connections with local dialups in most major centers world-wide, as
well as a lot of smaller centers in certain countries. They also have a
1-800 access number, but you pay a premium for that. Otherwise their rates,
last time I checked anyway, are comparable to most local-only ISPs
(www.ibm.net for more info -- no, I don't work for or hold any stake in IGN
:).
3. Finally, the beauty of the Internet is the way it lets you connect to
anywhere in the world as if you were right next door. Most ISPs allow
outside access to their POP3 mailservers, which means you can connect to the
'net though just about any other provider, and have the mail client connect
via the 'net to YOUR provider's mailserver back home. This only works if you
have another source of internet connection at your remote site (friends or
relatives in town, or an employer with a fairly open connection/firewall).
(Trying desperately for a sliver of on-topicness) Hope that helps someone
stay in touch with TECHWR-L while they're away from home!
Your friend and mine,
Matt
<All standard disclaimers apply>
"Reality is in alpha test on protoype hardware."
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