Concerning hotmail with Cobequid Community Network

Date: Mon, 30 Nov 1998 15:47:34 -0800
To: "Randy E. Sommerfeld" <cyan@sea-to-sky.net>, csuite-dev@chebucto.ns.ca
From: shearman@victoria.tc.ca (Gary Shearman)
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <csuite-dev-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>

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One of the reasons that we are proposing to do this (and why we established
the Provincial Server in the first place) was to address this very issue of
libraries referring people to HotMail.  Even worse, a lot of libraries are
CAP sites - they need a local community net option!

We aren't (at least at the moment) thinking of any other option for
accounts than having people register for accounts in the usual way.  In
CSuite at least they can do this over the Web - they never have to use
telnet if they don't want to (or are on a public terminal where that is
locked out).  We still demand a piece of mail with id - just as Daryle
indicates, we feel this is important.


At 2:52 PM 11/30/98, Randy E. Sommerfeld wrote:
>Regarding all this talk about hotmail/webmail, etc;
>
>        The Sea to Sky Communities Network has been looking into a
>"webmail" solution for some time now, and we have a basic "bare bones"
>setup as to how we would like such a service to run -- there are plenty of
>open source options to choose from, and many commercial ones (although
>it's rare that a communities network can afford those).
>
>        We decided to persue a webmail option for our users, due to the
>local library. The library was referring people to hotmail when asking for
>email addresses -- something that should _not_ be happening when a local
>communities network exists. The staff of the library brought up the point
>that Pine is just "too difficult" for the normal user to access and learn,
>and that hotmail is much more accessable and easier to learn.
>
>        I have to agree with them, to a point, but the "power users" will
>always prefer Pine, so that option should never disapear.
>
>        Anyways, back to the point, a webmail solution would allow library
>staff to add users themselves to the system -- something that addresses
>the spam and security question raised earlier. This wouldn't be hard to do
>at all, as it's pretty much all set to go with the current Chebucto Suite
>distribution.
>
>        I believe that a nice co-ordinated effort to get a common web
>front-end to user's mailboxes would be a good thing(tm), maybe to get it
>integrated with Chebucto Suite as well, as this is something every
>community network could stand to benefit from.
>
>        Just my $2 (inflation and all ;)
>
>All The Best,
>        Randy Sommerfeld
>        (a.k.a. Cyan Garamonde / _Cyan_ on IRC)
>
> Sea to Sky Communities Network, Admin | "The world before the fall,
>      http://sea-to-sky.net/~cyan      |  Delightful is the light of dawn,
>   finger/email: cyan@sea-to-sky.net   |  Noble is the heart of man."


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