Accessing The Internet By E-Mail A Special "Doctor Bob" Report Copyright (c) 1994, "Doctor Bob" Rankin All rights reserved. Permission is granted to repost this document in complete and unaltered form only. How to Access Internet Services by E-mail ----------------------------------------- If your only access to the Internet is via e-mail, you don't have to miss out on all the fun! Maybe you've heard of FTP, Gopher, Archie, Veronica, and WAIS, but thought they were out of your reach because your online service does not provide those tools. Not so! And even if you do have full Internet access, using E-mail servers can save you time and money. This special report will show you how to retrieve files from FTP sites, explore the Internet via Gopher, search for information with Archie or Veronica and query hundreds of WAIS databases using E-MAIL AS YOUR ONLY TOOL. If you can send a note to an Internet address, you're in the game! This is great news for users of popular online services such as CompuServe, Prodigy and America Online where there is partial or no direct Internet access. I encourage you to read this entire report first and then go back and try out the techniques that are covered. This way, you will gain a broader perspective of the information resources that are available, an introduction to the tools you can work with, and the best methods for finding the information you want. A Short Aside... "What is the Internet?" ---------------------------------------- Many introductory texts on the Internet go into excruciating detail on the history, composition and protocol of the Internet. If you were looking for that you won't find it here, because this is a "how to" lesson, not a history book. When you buy a new car, they don't make you read "The Life and Times of Henry Ford" before you can turn the top down and squeal off the lot. And when you get a new computer, nobody forces you to read a text on logic design before you fire up Leisure Suit Larry or WordPerfect. So if you're the type that wants to short-circuit the preliminaries and just dig in, you've come to the right place. I'm not going to bore you with the gory details. Instead, I'll just offer up my Reader's Digest condensed definition of the Internet, and encourage you to read more about the Internet in one of the many fine Internet books & guides listed in the Appendix. Some of them are even free, and accessible directly from the Internet! Internet (noun) - A sprawling collection of computer networks that spans the globe, connecting government, military, educational & commercial institutions, as well as private citizens to a wide range of computer services, resources, and information. A set of network conventions and common tools are employed to give the appearance of a single large network, even though the computers that are linked together use many different hardware and software platforms. FTP By E-Mail ------------- FTP stands for "file transfer protocol", and is a means of accessing files that are stored on remote computer systems. Files are stored in a hierarchical "tree" of directories, each of which pertains to a different subject. Using FTP by e-mail can be nice even for those with full Internet access, because some FTP servers are heavily loaded and interactive response can be very sluggish. So it makes sense not to waste time and connect charges in these cases. To access FTP by e-mail, you first need a list of FTP "sites" which are the addresses of the remote computer systems that allow you to retrieve files anonymously (with having a userid and password on that system). To get this list, send an e-mail note to: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu without a subject and include these lines in the body of the note. send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/sitelist/part1 send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/sitelist/part2 send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/sitelist/part3 send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/sitelist/part4 send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/sitelist/part5 send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/sitelist/part6 send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/sitelist/part7 send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/sitelist/part8 You will then receive (by e-mail) 8 files which comprise the "FTP Site List". Print them out or store them in a place where you can reference the list handily. Another file you might want to retrieve is "FTP Frequently Asked Questions", so add this line to your note as well. This file contains lots more info on using FTP services. send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/faq If you find an interesting FTP site in the list, send e-mail to one of these addresses (in order of preference): bitftp@pucc.princeton.edu ftpmail@sunsite.unc.edu ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com And in the body of the note, include these lines: open dir quit This will return to you a list of the files stored in the root directory at that site. In your next mail message you can navigate to other directories by inserting (for example) cd pub before the dir command. ("pub" is a common directory name, and usually a good place to start.) Once you determine the name of a file you want to retrieve, use get in your note instead of the dir command. If the file you want to retrieve is plain text, this will suffice. If it's a binary file (a program, etc.) you'll need to insert the binary command in your note before the get command. So to summarize, here's the e-mail message you would send to the address "bitftp@pucc.princeton.edu" in order to retrieve the text of The Declaration of Independence from a remote FTP site: open ftp.eff.org cd pub/CAF/civics get dec_of_ind quit Some other interesting FTP sites you may want to "visit" are listed below: ocf.berkeley.edu try: pub/Library for documents, bible, lyrics, etc. rtfm.mit.edu try: pub/usenet/news.answers for USENET FAQs & archives oak.oakland.edu try: pub/msdos for a huge DOS software library ftp.sura.net try: pub/nic for Internet how-to documents quartz.rutgers.edu try: pub/humor for lots of humor files You should note that FTP mail servers tend to be quite busy so your reply may not arrive for several minutes, hours, or days, depending on when and where you send your request. Also, some large files may be split into smaller pieces and returned to you as multiple messages. If the file that is returned to you ends up looking something like what you see below, (the word "begin" with a number and the filename on one line, followed by a bunch of 61-character lines) it has been uuencoded by the sender. You'll need to scrounge up a version of the uudecode program for your operating system (UNIX, DOS, OS/2, VM, etc.) in order to unscramble the file. Most likely you'll find a copy in your service provider's download library. begin 001 sample.zip M4$L#!`H`!@`&`/6H?18<$-Z$F@P```@?```,````5$5,25@S,34N5%A480I[ M!P8;!KL,2P,)!PL)"PD'%@<(!@4&!P8%-@<6%PL*!@@*"P4&%00&%P4*"`4& M%08*)08(!Q@*!PH("P<+!"4$)00*!@0%%`4)-`<&%PD:*_S\_/O[^PP++`LL Another point to consider... If your online service charges you to store e-mail files that are sent to you and you plan to receive some large files via FTP, it would be wise to handle your "inbasket" expeditiously to avoid storage costs! Archie By E-Mail ---------------- Let's say you know the name of a file, but you have no idea at which what FTP site it might be lurking. Or maybe you're curious to know if a file matching a certain naming criteria is available via FTP. Archie is the tool you can use to find out! Archie servers can be thought of as a database of all the anonymous FTP sites in the world, allowing you to find the site and/or name of a file to be retrieved. And using Archie by e-mail can be convenient because some Archie searches take a while to complete, leaving you to tap your toes in the meantime. To use Archie by e-mail, simply send an e-mail message to one of the following addresses: archie@archie.unl.edu archie@archie.rutgers.edu archie@archie.internic.net archie@archie.sura.net To obtain detailed help for using Archie by mail, put the word help in the subject of the note and just send it off. You'll receive e-mail explaining how to use archie services. If you're the "just do it" type, then leave the subject blank and enter find foo.bar where "foo.bar" is the name of the file to search for, in the body (not the subject) of the note. This will search for files that match your criteria exactly. If you want to find files that contain your search criteria anywhere in their name, insert the line set search sub before the "find" command. Some other useful archie commands you might want to use are: set maxhits 20 limit amount of output , default 100 files set match_domain usa (restrict output to FTP sites in USA) set output_format terse (return output in condensed form) When you get the results from your Archie query, it will contain the names of various sites at which the desired file is located. Use one of these site names and the exact filename listed for your next FTP file retrieval request. Gopher By E-Mail ---------------- Gopher is an excellent tool for exploring the Internet and is the best way to find a resource if you know what you want, but not where to find it. A gopher system is menu-based, and provides a user-friendly "front-end" to Internet resources, searches and information retrieval. Without a tool like Gopher, you'd have to wander aimlessly through the Internet jungles and swamps to find the treasures you seek. Gopher "knows where things are" and guides you to the good stuff. Gopher takes the rough edges off of the Internet by automating remote logins, hiding the sometimes-cryptic command sequences, and offers powerful search capabilities in as well. And of course you can use Gopher by e-mail! Although not every item on every menu will be accessible by "gopher mail", you'll still find plenty of interesting things using this technique. Down to brass tacks... let's send e-mail to one of these addresses: gopher@earn.net or gophermail@calvin.edu Leave the subject blank, enter help in the body of the note, and let it rip. You'll soon receive by e-mail the text of the main menu at the gopher site you selected. To proceed to one of the selections on the menu just e-mail the whole text of the note (from the menu downwards) back to the gopher server, placing an "x" next to the items(s) you want to explore. You'll then receive the next level of the gopher menu by e-mail. Some menu choices lead to other menus, some lead to text files, and some lead to search facilities. To perform a search, select that menu item with an "x" and supply your search words in the Subject: of your next reply. Note that your search criteria can be a single word or a boolean expression such as: document and (historical or government) The each of the results (the "hits") of your search will be displayed as an entry on yet another gopher menu! Just remember, you must return the entire gopher menu and all the routing info that follows it each time you reply to the gopher-mail server, marking your selection(s) with an "x", and specifying search words (if appropriate) in the Subject of the e-mail message. Veronica By E-Mail ------------------ Speaking of searches, this is a good time to mention Veronica. Just like Archie provides a searchable index of FTP sites, Veronica provides this function for "gopherspace". Veronica will ask you what you want to look for (your search words) and then display another menu listing all the gopher menu items that match your search. In typical gopher fashion, you can then select one of these items and "go-pher it"! To try Veronica by e-mail, retrieve the main menu from gopher@earn.net using the method just described. Then try the choice labelled "Other Gopher and Information Servers". This menu will have an entry for Veronica. You'll have to select one (or more) Veronica servers to handle your query, specifying the search words in the Subject of your reply. Here's another example of where using e-mail servers can save time and money. Often the Veronica servers are very busy and tell you to "try again later". So select 2 or 3 servers, and chances are one of them will be able to handle your request the first time around. WAIS Searches By E-Mail ----------------------- WAIS stands for Wide Area Information Service, and is a means of searching a set of over 500 indexed databases. The range of topics is too broad to mention, and besides, you'll soon learn how to get the topic list for yourself! To try WAIS by e-mail, retrieve the main menu from gopher@earn.net using the method just described. Then try the choice labelled "Other Gopher and Information Servers". This menu will have an entry for "WAIS Based Information". There are several paths to follow from here. You might choose one of: List of all WAIS databases WAIS databases sorted by letter WAIS databases sorted by Subject A good path for beginners would be the last entry, followed up by "Subject Tree". After 1 or 2 more levels you'll select the database you want to search, specifying the search words as before in the Subject of your reply. Note: The path to some resources, files or databases can be a bit tedious, requiring several e-mail messages to the gopher-mail server. But here's the good news... If you've done it once, you can re-use any of the e-mail messages previously sent in, changing it to suit your current needs. (This applies to all gopher-mail services.) Usenet By E-Mail ---------------- Usenet is a collection of over 5000 discussion groups on every topic imaginable. In order to get a proper start and avoid embarrasing yourself needlessly, you must read the Usenet new users intro document, which can be obtained by sending an e-mail note to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu without a subject and including this line in the body of the note: send usenet/news.answers/news-newusers-intro Once you've handled the preliminaries, you'll need to know to read and contribute to Usenet newsgroups by e-mail. To read a newsgroup, you will use the gophermail service discussed earlier in this guide. Send the following file by e-mail to gophermail@Calvin.EDU (or another GopherMail Server) to obtain a list of recent postings to a particular newsgroup. (You must replace "" below with the name of the Usenet newsgroup you wish to access. eg: alt.answers, biz.comp.services, news.newusers.questions, etc.) ---start here--- x 1. / You may edit the following two numbers to set the maximum sizes after which GopherMail should send output as multiple email messages: Split=27K bytes/message <- For text, bin, HQX messages (0 = No split) Menu=100 items/message <- For menus and query responses (0 = No split) # Name= Numb=1 Type=1 Port=4320 Path=news group Host=saturn.wwc.edu ---end here--- The gophermail server will mail you a typical gopher menu on which you may select the individual postings you wish to read. If you decide to make a post of your own, mail the text you wish to post to: newsgroup.name.usenet@decwrl.dec.com For example, to post to news.newusers.questions, you would send your message to news.newusers.questions.usenet@decwrl.dec.com. Be sure to include an appropriate Subject: line, and to include your real name and e-mail address at the close of your note. A Few Net-Goodies ----------------- Here are some other interesting things you can do by e-mail. Some of them are accessible only by e-mail! FINGER by e-mail "Finger" is a utility that returns information about another user. Usually it's just boring stuff like last logon time, etc., but sometimes people put fun or useful information in their finger replies. To try out finger, send e-mail to jfesler@netcom.com with a subject of #finger jtchern@headcrash.berkeley.edu. You'll receive current major league baseball standings! (The general form is #finger user@site.) WEBSTER by e-mail Don't have your dictionary handy? Send e-mail to jfesler@netcom.com again, but this time make the subject #webster test and you'll get a definition of the word "test" in reply. Almanac & Weather Almanac & Weather Jason Fesler offers a bunch of other services by e-mail! Almanac (daily updates), Weather, CD Music Catalog, etc. E-mail jfesler@netcom.com with subject #HELP. While you're at it, why not send a note with a subject of "Thanks!". CONGRESS email Find out if your congressman has an electronic address! Just send mail to the address congress@hr.house.gov and you'll get a listing of congressional e-mail addresses. Mailing Lists There are literally thousands of discussion groups that stay in touch using e-mail based systems known as "mailing lists". People interested in a topic "subscribe" to a "list" and then send & receive postings by e-mail. For a good introduction to this topic, send mail to listserv@vm1.nodak.edu with GET NEW-LIST WOUTERS as the first line. USENET Searches A new service at Stanford University makes it possible to search USENET newsgroups for postings that contain keywords of interest to you. You can even "subscribe" and receive a daily list of newsgroups posting that match your search criteria. Send mail to netnews@db.stanford.edu with no subject and help in the body of note for full details. MOVIE Info To learn how to get tons of info on movies, actors, directors, etc. send mail to movie@ibmpcug.co.uk with no subject and help in the body of note for full details. Stock Market Send e-mail with subject Stock Market Quotes to martin.wong@eng.sun.com and you'll receive a stock market report. (updated daily) Suggested Reading ----------------- There are lots of good books and guides to help you get started on the Internet, and here are some that I recommend. The first three are free via anonymous FTP, and the others can be found in most bookstores that carry computer-related books. "Zen and the Art of the Internet", by Brendan Kehoe Via ftp site: ftp.cs.widener.edu; directory: pub/zen "There's Gold in them thar Networks", by Jerry Martin Via ftp site: nic.ddn.mil; directory: rfc; filename: rfc1402.txt "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet", by Ed Krol Via ftp site: nic.ddn.mil; directory: rfc; filename: rfc1118.txt "The Whole Internet User's Guide and Catalog", by Ed Krol Publisher: O'Reilly & Associates ISBN: 1-56592-063-5 Price $24.95 "The Big Dummy's Guide to the Internet", by Adam Gaffin Publisher: MIT Press ISBN: 0-262-57105-6 Price: $14.95 "The Internet for Dummies", by John Levine & Carol Baroudi Publisher: IDG Books ISBN: 1-56884-024-1 Price: $19.95 Contacting the Author --------------------- "Doctor Bob", also known as Bob Rankin, welcomes your feedback on this guide and can be reached at the following addresses. Send corrections, ideas, suggestions and comments by e-mail. I'll try to include any new e-mail services in future editions of this guide. Delphi: BobRankin@Delphi.com AmericaOnline: BobRankin@AOL.com US Mail: Doctor Bob / PO Box 39 / Tillson, NY / 12486 Something Else From Doctor Bob! ------------------------------- ================================================== "100 COOL THINGS TO DO ON THE INTERNET!" Doctor Bob's Internet Tour Guide Over 100 places you *must* visit in cyberspace ================================================== There's a goldmine of information, software and services out there just waiting to be discovered! It can be yours, but it ain't easy... That's why you MUST have this informative report which gives you the lowdown on: * Online databases * Electronic Library Catalogs * Shopping in Cyberspace * Job Postings * Vast software libraries * ALL FREE! You'll learn the basics of TELNETing, FTPing and GOPHERing to the information you want, with specific instructions and the "secret keys" you need to unlock all the doors on the way! This information could save you money, hours of valuable time, or lead you to a new career. And best of all, THIS 12-PAGE REPORT COSTS ONLY $5.00 !!! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * To get your printed copy of "100 COOL THINGS TO DO ON THE INTERNET!" send just $5 (cash, check or money order) plus a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: --> DOCTOR BOB --> PO BOX 39, DEPT A2 --> TILLSON, NY 12486 (USA) ------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright (c) 1994, "Doctor Bob" Rankin All rights reserved. Permission is granted to repost this document in complete and unaltered form only.