The easiest way to check your mail remotely is to log in to our server and use PINE (a text-based email program). There are many advantages to using PINE. Aside from being very easy to use,  PINE will allow you to manage your messages directly on our server. You can read, reply, forward, save and delete your messages. Because your messages are viewed directly on our server, you can even 'flag' messages as "new" so that they are available to download later using your regular mail program! Please note, however, that PINE cannot view attached files and only accounts with shell access will be able to send or save attachments.  

To access your mail using PINE, you will need to be at a computer that is connected to the Internet and has a TELNET utility installed.  Telnet is a standard utility that comes with Windows.  MAC users may need to download a shareware utility if one is not already included with the Operating System. The following instructions for launching a telnet session are specific to Windows Operating Systems.

Launching PINE:

1. Click on START and select RUN
2. Type:   telnet smart.net
3. Click OK
4. A Terminal Window will display on your screen. When prompted, type in your username and password.
5. Note:  For security purposes, the password you type will not be displayed on the screen.

Basic PPP and Email-only Users:  PINE will automatically open after you type in your password!

All Other users:  Type "pine" (without the quotes)  at the command prompt, then hit enter.

Using PINE:

When PINE opens, you will be at the Main Menu (you may get a long welcome message first - this message only displays the first time you use the program. Simply type "e" to bypass it) From this menu, you can [C]ompose a new message, view your Folder [L]ist, and view messages that are in your Message [I]ndex.  To access these menu options, simply type the letter that is associated with the menu item.  

Within each of the menu items, there will be a list of available commands displayed at the bottom of the screen.  To access these features, choose the letter associated with the Menu Item.  To view a message in the Message Index, simply use your arrow keys to scroll to the message you want to view, then hit [ENTER]. While viewing the message, note the menu options at the bottom of your screen (f=forward; r=reply, etc.) Some commands require that you hold down the [Ctrl] Key while typing the associated letter.  This is indicated by the ^ character (^X = [Ctrl]-X)

A few notes:  By default, messages you read will be automatically moved and saved to your old-mail folder when you [Q]uit PINE.  These messages can be viewed later by accessing your Folder [L]ist and opening the OLD-MAIL folder.  However, messages that are stored in your OLD-MAIL folder are not available for download later!  You must "flag" the message as "NEW" in the Message Index before you [Q]uit PINE (see specific features below for more information) 

If you have questions about a feature, or need general help, just type "?" from within PINE.

Specific Features:

Although PINE may seem primitive at first, it actually comes with a set of fairly advanced features. Some of these features are described below:

1. To check your spelling in a new messages, just type ^T 
2. To flag a message as "new" so you can download it later, type " * " (SHIFT-8)  and then choose "N" for new.
3. To redirect a message to another person (forward without comment) type "B" for bounce and they the recipients address.
4. To select a range of messages, type " ; " (semi-colon) and choose your criteria. For more selection criteria, type "B" to Broaden the choices.
5. To select ALL messages, type " ; " then A (for all). To UNselect ALL messages, repeat the process.
6. To apply a command to the selected messages, type "a" then choose the command that you want applied.

For Example:  To select all of the messages in your Message Inbox and Flag them as new:

    Open your Message Index. Type ;  then type "A" for apply, then type "*" to flag, then type "N" for new.

For more information on PINE, check out the PINE web site at http://www.washington.edu/pine/

Technical Support: support@smart.net
Billing: billing@smart.net
Webmaster: webmaster@smart.net