Re: More thoughts on Revival of AppleLink Network

[obsbedia2@aol.com (Obsbedia2)]

From: "Louis L. Perley III" <lperley@cnd.hp.com>

Fredmail? Where could I get a copy?

How does this mailer work? Using UUCP? Some sort of Store and Forward
mechanism?

-Louis

I emailed the folks at Global School Net and have been told that the program
will be placed in an Apple II archive after Dec. 1999.  I was promised a disk
copy earlier, but nothing developed.  This time I took it higher up when they
approached me for a letter about how FrEdMail has helped my students in the
classroom and they told me about their promise to archive it.  It is Public
Domain or Freeware; I forget which.

As to how it works? Other than very, very well, I couldn't tell you 
technically.  The FrEdMail system, if my district's setup is typical, allows
for realtime email and "discussion rooms" within our local area (our district
and one next door).  For nonlocal email, newsgroups and other postings, the
system is set up to up and download twice a night when the phone rates are
cheapest, but it has been set up to do so in the afternoon as well (so it's up
to the individual node's discretion).  
   
	I know that it has been revised and polished many times, up until a few years
ago.  The best way to check it out will be to sign onto a local node.  I've
tried a couple of them and have been surprised to find them different. 
Districts decide what their local nodes will offer.  Mine in Hemet, for
example, has about twice the variety of the one at Pacifica High School.

	I'd be happy to see FrEdMail continue.  As it stands, it's sort of like
shooting the loyal, healthy, family dog.  I started this discussion because I
thought that the graphic interface in the AppleLink brochures would appeal to
Apple II users and that these nodes could be utilized.

	Am I wrong?  Was AppleLink just another text-based program, beyond the startup
screen in the brochures?  Or is it just easier to transfer and read 80 column
text on Apple II screens?  It seemed like I was seeing quite a few postings in
the last few months by people wanting to start their own BBSs and this just
seemed like a logical next step.

Not wanting to shelve my TO.TeleCom or ASCII art,

	Jay Edwards