E-mail and the Internet

The World Wide Web (WWW) and internet have a lot to offer. This page seeks to help you get the most out of it and perhaps contribute something yourself! If you know of any good links/tips, let me know.

WARNING: THIS SITE CONTAINS BLATANT OPINIONS!

Table of Contents

• Ghostscript (external link) - an interpreter for postscript language and PDF
• Graphics Programs
• PC Mag Activation FAQ (external link) - Find out more about software activation.
• Making URLS shorter - one way to get around annoying wrapping of links
• Snopes.com - this is a great site for finding urban legends and hoaxes
• Banking Scam
• Web Hosting & Registering Domain Names
• Nigerian Scam E-mails
• Internet Jargon and Abbreviations
• Firewall Security Software
• Hoaxes and Security
• Search Engines
• Composing Web Pages
• Scams, spam, hoaxes, junk mail, etc.
• E-mail applications & their use
• Newsgroups, Forums, and Discussion Boards - including software & spam blocks
• Strategies for Using E-mail (POP vs. IMAP vs. Terminal)
• Shareware and Freeware Sites
• ANSI Character Set

Graphics Programs

Just about everyone with a computer can benefit from more knowledge on how create cool graphics.

Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator
I love these two and even though I have used them a lot, there is so much to learn and I am not the guy to teach you; luckily I have found some links

• adobestudio.com - Adobe describes this as "Design resources for Web, print, digital imaging, and digital video professionals"; it's got a lot of great stuff, most of it from fellow users.
• bertmonroy.com - I learned about this guy when he appeard on a G4techTV show, The Screen Savers, he demonstrates some remarkable skill with Adobe Photoshop and luckily for us, he has posted the tutorials from his techTV appearances on his website.

Freeware Image Processing Software
Not everyone can afford the rather pricey software like Adobe and, if you are like me, you do not pirate software. Thankfully, there are some great freeware packages out there.

• GIMP (GNU Image Processor) - This is a freeware image processing package that is generally seen as a good option if you can't/won't pay for the commercial packages. It is quite powerful (filters, layers, etc.) and has plug-ins to extend its capabilities. To open PS and EPS files, you will also need Ghostscript.
• Pixia - Learning curve may be an issue, so be sure to read the manual (but you do that anyway...right?).
• PhotoPlus - Image manipulation, filters, and the ability to open '.psd' files (that's the standard Adobe Photoshop file extension). Note: Serif's install routine is a little draconian, requiring you to download a preinstaller to download the program (happy I have a firewall), receive an e-mailed "unlock" code (happy I can create e-mail aliases).

Making URLS shorter

IT can be a real hassle to have links to sites chopped up by your e-mail's word wrapping function, and there are mailers that do not respond to the usual tricks to prevent it. So, make the URL smaller! These sites generate short URLs that act as a redirect to the long URLs.

• tinyurl.com
• www.makeashorterlink.com

Banking Scam

A new banking scam. Remember, don't follow links in e-mails; rather, go to the site yourself by typing in the correct URL and work your way to the necessary pages. It takes time, but it's safer.

Web Hosting & Registering Domain Names (sorted by cost)

I looked into getting my site set up via a web host, and this is what I found (data collated 2004.07.22). I wanted to pay no more than about $10 a month and have at least 200 MB of space with at least 2 GB throughput. I have heard good things about LRE Hosting and Blogomania.

* - $39.95 setup fee
** - $19.95 setup fee
*** - $24.95 setup fee
**** - lower price is 24-month price

Nigerian Scam E-mails

These are notorious scam messages where someone contacts you because you are so "trustworthy" or something similar. They go on to explain how they have this wondrous amount of money they can release and share with you, if only you could give them a little money first... It's a scam! Don't fall for it; rather, report it using the following method:

1. Forward the e-mail to: 419.fcd@usss.treas.gov
2. Mark it as "No Loss".
3. Webpage: http://home.rica.net/alphae/419coal/index.htm

Internet Jargon and Abbreviations

• Jargon File Resources
• Talk Mode - A glossary of abbreviations commonly used on the internet.

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Firewall Security Software

Some software for helping protect yourself on the internet. I am no expert, so I used a CNN.com article on the topic as a reference ["Insulate your PC from hackers," August 10, 2000. Web posted at: 10:16 a.m. EDT (1416 GMT); by Jeff Sengstack]. If you have contrary opinions, please let me know.

• Their top choices - "Though neither package is perfect, each has strengths that will make it attractive to particular users. Ultimately, we decided that these two products should share the title of Best Buy."
  • ZoneAlarm, from Zone Labs, Inc. It's free for personal and non-profit use.
  • BlackICE Defender, from Network ICE - I couldn't get to the site when I tried.
• "Second Tier" (according to CNN.com)
  • McAfee.com's Personal Firewall
  • Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall 2000 version 2
  • Sybergen Networks' Secure Desktop 2.1 - "performed unimpressively in our tests and didn't provide sufficient feedback (or even an indication that it was running)."
  • Aladdin's free ESafe Desktop 2.2 "fared poorly."

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Hoaxes and Security

There are holes in programs tha hackers can exploit and for every danger out there, there are ten more hoaxes. Both are evil. Don't be a victim, be informed! If you have more good sites, please let me know.

• Computer Incident Advisory Capability
• National Infrastructure Protection Center
• Symantec Hoaxes page

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Search Engines: these tend to look very much alike, but they are not quite identical yet...

• Google seems to be the absolute best right now.
• Metacrawler was once my favorite, as it searches multiple engines simultaneously.
• I am now not very thrilled by Alta Vista. Too much noise.
• Lycos is my next favorite because of its custom search options.
• Lycos and others can be accessed from Netscape's generic internet search page.

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Composing Web Pages

• What is HTML? HTML, or hypertext markup language, is the basic programming language that is used to write up web pages. Your browser looks at the source code of the page and translates it into the more aesthetically pleasing web page the designer intended. Be sure to save such HTML web page documents with the '.html' extension.
• How do I get images?
• The direct route: when you see an image you like, you should be able to download it with your web-browser (e.g. with Netscape you right-click and choose 'save as', pick a filename and location and its yours)
• Reaping the rewards of others' altruistic labors: go to a site that has image collections (see 'Links' below). Usually, they will have their images set up to allow point and click downloading, but you can always use the 'direct route' above if not.
• Finding images: the way I prefer to search is by their extensions, e.g. if I want a more aesthetic horizontal line to divide up sections of my pages, I search with ".gifs" AND "line" as my keywords. Regardless, you will need to use a search engine.
• How do I start a web page?
• Dreamweaver: my absolute favorite web content software. Yes, it costs money, but if you plan to have more than a dozen or so pages, it will probably be worth it. It allows you to do some amazing stuff with little more than the skills it would take to operate a common word processor.
• Word processor: Most current word processors allow you to create, edit, and even preview web pages, check your documentation.
• Browser: Most browsers have the ability to create, edit, and preview web pages. Netscape allows you to start off with blank documents or templates as well as providing a 'Wizard' (make sure Java Script is enabled) that will walk you through creating basic web pages (primitive, but very smooth and easy to use).
• I need some color! Well, the palettes at www.colourlovers.com are pretty helpful

• The HTML Goodies Page, is a great resource. It has a good supply of images and useful information on how to accomplish various effects with web pages. Joe Burns, the maintainer, has been a source of useful web stuff for years, and it's FREE!
• Rice University's Information Technology has a number of great links and pages, the main ones concerning WWW use are:
• About the WWW covers a large number of topics, including HTML primers, cgi scripts, browsers, and HTML tools.
• Short courses are offered on various pertinent topics including web pages and using various software packages.

Scams, hoaxes, junk mail, etc.

Search for the keywords in the title using any of the search engines, I usually use Metacrawler & Alta Vista.  You will likely find one or more sites talking about the mail in question.

As for specific sites dedicated to real and fake security threats and bogus e-mails:

• spamcop.net - a fully automated spam processor that dissects spam and composes notices for you to send out, it takes less time to use than it takes to compose a spam mail, finally the tide may begin to turn.
• Computer Incident Advisory Capability - Department of the DOE, they also track computer security threats
• Current Net Hoaxes - A good site in general
• Hoax Alert
• CNET's Favorite Net Hoaxes
• On the hoax concerning "US Stamps for e-mails": Site 1, Site 2 (FCC instead of USPS), Site 3

E-mail Applications & Their Use

• General e-mail information: You really should read this if you are not very familiar with e-mail.
• Pine tutorial: Pine is a UNIX-based mailer.
• Elm info: Elm is another UNIX-based mailer.
• IMAP is a very new protocol that is a PC-based interface that directly accesses your mail account online.  It is a hybrid between Pine and Eudora, and is still currently (July 1997) 'buggy' on the PC end and the server end.
• Converting address books between platforms

  My two cents: see Strategies below

Newsgroups, Forums, and Discussion Boards

Software

First you need software.  Mail platforms often allow you newsgroup access, as do browsers.  I recommend using Free Agent from Forté Inc.  It is free, and has all the functionality I have ever needed in a news reader.

• Why a newsreader?  I like to put in spam blocks (see below) to stop junk mail engines from snatching my address from newsgroups, a very big concern for me.  I don't mind using my delete key like everyone else, but junk mail can really get out of hand.  Newsgroups are a more public forum, so I often prefer to provide less information.  By having a separate program for it, I can set my preferences specifically for a given newsgroup.  This has the added benefit that I can tailor my signature file to the topics covered by the group.
• Why Free Agent?  Well, it's free.  Also, it's pretty small (~1 megabyte) and I can create multiple copies of it for customization.  Be sure and get the latest version before 2000, as there is the potential for some slight nuisance from messages that list two-digit years in their date field.  It won't crash anything, but it might screw up how the messages are automatically pruned.  Of course, you could delete them yourself if push comes to shove.

Spam blocks

"Spam" refers to unwanted or "junk" mail.  It usually comes from software that sifts through newsgroups and/or webpages and picks up e-mail addresses listed in them. Stopping junk mail engines from reading your e-mail address correctly is a very effective method.  Typically, you would use this method of spam blocking only if you are posting message on newsgroups and similar venues. Generally, you would modify your e-mail address in an obvious way and include instructions in your signature file on how to get around it.  This two-part approach is important.  You should not commit fraud by simply making up a fake user name.  Many providers have policies against this and it's wrong.  Using the fictitious address userid@mailhome.edu, here's a lot of examples:

• Adding in superfluous bits is a very popular method:
  • Signature file annotation can be something along the lines of: "Please remove <superfluous bit> from my address"
  • adding a word: userid@wordmailhome.edu
    • the word can be anything, but obvious ones are nice, e.g. 'remove', 'delete'
    • I personally feel one word is not adequate, especially since obvious ones might get incorporated into junk mail engines
  • adding a phrase: userid@mailhome.eduphrase or useridphrase@mailhome.com, etc.
    • I like this one, because a phrase is much less likely to be figured out even by a smart junk mail engine and a long phrase is more likely to clue in a reader that you do have a modified e-mail address, which should get them to check out your signature file if they can't figure it out.
    • Example phrases: 'removethis', 'SpamBlock', 'NO-SPAM'
  • adding numbers: userid727@mailhome.com, userid@mailhome727.com
    • This is also very solid.  Many userids have numbers, so junk mail engines are not going to disregard them.
    • A downside is that people you want to reply may not realize the numbers are superfluous and thus may not look for information on how to fix your e-mail address to reply successfully.
  • Example: catch22userid@mailhome.com, and "My address is protected from junk mail engines, please remove catch22 from my address."
• Phonetic approach: userid-at-mailhome-dot-edu
  • I would not be surprised if a junk mail engine programmer finally overcame this, but it may be hard.
  • The nice thing is that you probably don't need any info in your signature to explain this one.
• Complex approach: A two-fold approach:
  • obvious fake part in From: see_signature_for_userid@rice.edu
  • Then in my signature file, I indicate my userid
  • A little more work, but it should confound engines pretty thoroughly, I hope . . .
• If you own your own domain, you can jsut create aliases for various groups and then change them if spam gets out of control.

Strategies for Using E-mail

Advice from Rice is available at their Information Technology's Consumer's Guide to Electronic Mail page.

Issue	Terminal (Unix)	IMAP	POP
Keeping server clear	Worst	Good	Best
Accessibility	Best	Better	Good
Message formats	Text only	Text, rich text, and HTML	Text, rich text, and HTML
Attachments	Very cumbersome	Easy	Easy
Ease of learning	OK	Good	Good
Address book	OK	Great	Great
Composing mail	OK	Great	Great
Getting mail	Good	Great	Great
Spell-check	Crappy	Great	Great
Where?	Should already be on your server	MS Outlook, Netscape, Eudora

My two cents on Terminal/Unix acces, e.g. Pine: Pine is indisputably the most simple option available.  This is good as it is easy to use and maintain.  This is bad because the spell-checking, sorting and searching capabilities are weak.  It is an ugly interface, and you have to log onto your account anytime you want to look at your mail, which means that your productivity can depend heavily on how quickly the network is working, especially if it is not.  The biggest reasons I do not use Pine as my main mail client are that it has too few capabilities and I want to be able to look at and/or compose messages regardless of whether or not the system is working.  Used in conjunction with IMAP, you may end up with the best possible solution.

My two cents on POP (Post Office Protocol) Mail: I like POP mail a lot.  I can sift through every message for certain words, userids, whatever.  I can organize all of my messages by date, sender, or title at the click of my mouse.  I have a swift, powerful spell-checker (Pine has one, but let's not discuss it).  The software interface is generally easier on the eyes than a Unix terminal window. POP mailers can leave your original messages on the server, delete as you empty your trash folder, or delete as they download (this allows you to keep the server clear of message).  I like to do most of my work off-line, so temporary outages in access are less of a problem, as I can compose and queue my mail. With Eudora and NC, I can check mail every x minutes and go do something else, knowing that within x minutes of the restoration of access, my messages will be sent.  Also, in both cases I can look at my old messages regardless of whether or not my account is working. If you work almost exclusively from one computer, e.g. a laptop, you can really use this to be more productive.

IMAP: I tried it out.  It appeared to be the best of POP and Pine at first glance, but then it seems like a failed hybrid solution for my purposes.  I would strongly recommend going with the POP setting.  POP does work, has been thoroughly proven, and is widely supported.  Also, with IMAP (as with Pine) you are forced to conform to disk quotas, so even modest archiving of mail can become problematic.  Your address book for resides on your PC, as do your preferences.  IMAP is not really the ultimate solution for mail as you still need your PC settings for full functionality, i.e. it is not really any better or worse than POP, just different. If you work from multiple machines and need to use something like Outlook for your mail, this could be a good solution.

If you primarily use a UNIX computer: As a general default, the easiest route is probably to just use Pine or Elm.  It is pretty versatile and it is already there.  However, prettier and more capable mailers are available.  Netscape may even be working on Unix or Linux (or whatever) now.

Shareware and Freeware Sites

• www.tucows.com
• Super Shareware: Shareware, freeware and commercial demo software - I found a cool freeware icon editor/creator here.

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