hfavr@mtuxo.UUCP (a.reed) (04/20/86)
Several readers of these newsgroups have asked me for individual copies
of the message below, since it failed to reach them through net.mail.
I am therefore re-posting it, this time to net.unix, which is
transmitted through most sites. I am cross-posting to net.unix-wizards
in order to reach system administrators. So here it is again:
I am forwarding the following description of AT&T Mail
as received from Joe Bednar, attmail!lzmt!jab.
My own comments follow after the forwarded note:
---------------------------------------------------------------
AT&T Mail, a nationwide electronic messaging service tested for
the past year, is now available commercially. The service lets
large businesses expand their office automation capabilities
through asynchronous terminals, personal computers, and computers
with the UNIX operating system serving groups of workers.
More than 200 companies and 15,000 AT&T employees throughout the
nation have been using AT&T Mail to add value to office
equipment. AT&T said it has learned from this experience how to
offer electronic mail profitably, and to tailor the service to
the needs of businesses that want employees to work more
efficiently within groups and among various locations.
The AT&T Mail Service and Private Message Exchange (PMX) software
for PCs and multi-user computers running the UNIX system, provide
a business with simple, powerful electronic mail capabilities.
To use AT&T Mail, you dial directly into the service with an
asynchronous terminal, PC using MS-DOS, or a terminal connected
to a UNIX system. PCs can interface with AT&T Mail using
terminal emulation or the XMODEM protocol. UNIX systems
interface with AT&T Mail using UUCP. AT&T Mail can be addressed
through any access point by using the UNIX system name "attmail".
The on-line interface provides the user with an "electronic
office". It has an easy to use directory which lists other
users' electronic mailbox address. A phonetic spelling
capability helps people find names they don't know how to spell,
and the directory will locate persons who are registered on a
company's UNIX system and may not have an individual AT&T Mail
address. Common words direct actions such as read, create or
send.
PMX software extends this "electronic office" to the PC or UNIX
environment and enhances it to have a full-screen display with
function-keys replacing most keyboard commands.
AT&T Mail messages also can be printed on high-quality bond
stationery with your letterhead and signature. A user merely
sends a sample of each to AT&T Mail and they are converted to
electronic images. Printed copies of AT&T Mail can be sent
through the U S Post Office or delivered overnight by Airborne
Express. Four-hour delivery is also available to the nation's 50
largest cities.
AT&T Mail is binary transparent. Users can send computer
programs and word processor or spreadsheet files through the
network to be used or edited by the receiver.
There also is the benefit of calling AT&T Mail services from a
Touch-Tone telephone and having your messages read to you using
text-to-speech conversion.
* * *
Costs for using AT&T Mail are based upon the messages created and
sent. There is no charge to check for or read mail, although
there is a $2 monthly administration fee for each user.
Here is a complete price list for AT&T Mail:
Electronic Message $ 0.80
Electronic Note 0.40
Return Receipt Request 0.40
COD Electronic Message 1.25
Standard (US MAIL) Paper Message 2.00
Priority (Overnight) Paper Message 7.50
Urgent (Same Day) Paper Message 27.50
Additional Message Units 0.80
Domestic Telex Minutes 0.70
International Telex Minutes Variable
On-Line Message Create/Edit 0.45
On-Line Note Create/Edit 0.20
Forms/Files User Fee 10.00
Shared Address Lists 2.00
Additional Storage Units 0.30
MAIL TALK Minutes 0.45
WATS Access Minutes 0.15
Service Fee (Monthly) 2.00
Signature or Logo Registration (Annual) 12.00
Directory Listing Fee (Annual) 12.00
There are also discounts up to 20% available depending on a
company's usage.
PMX software for personal computers using the MS-DOS operating
system costs $85, while software for computers with the UNIX
system is priced from $550.
Some examples of how prices are determined by the creation and
sending of messages include: Electronic notes of 400 characters
or less, or about six lines, are 40 cents. Electronic messages
between 401 and 7,500 characters, or about two- and-one-half
typed pages, are 80 cents when created off- line (using a PC or
UNIX system). Each note created on-line is an additional 20
cents and each message is an additional 45 cents.
For additional information, call AT&T Mail at 800-367-7225.
---------------------------------------------------------------
End of note forwarded from Joe Bednar.
The following are my own (npois!adam) additional comments:
1. AT&T Mail has transparent uucp access for any UNIX(tm) system
with the "mail" (note lower case) command as provided in AT&T
UNIX(tm) software distributions. PMX software is needed only if
your users require a menu-driven interface to electronic mail, or
if your "mail" command has been modified in incompatible ways.
AT&T Mail can be used as a message transport mechanism among
UNIX(tm) systems. Once your system is registered with AT&T Mail,
you will be able to send messages to, for example, Joe Bednar by
addressing them to attmail!lzmt!jab.
2. AT&T Mail has both forwarding and auto-answer capability for
individually registered users. As a user, I simply have AT&T Mail
forward my mail to whichever machine I happen to be using most
frequently during a given time period. If I travel, I log on and
stop the forwarding temporarily, and get my messages by phone
through the AT&T Mail text-to-speech interface. If I know I will
not read my messages for some time, I activate the auto-answer
feature with an appropriately apologetic message, etc.
3. In addition to paper (US mail, express, or messenger delivery)
options, AT&T Mail provides a TELEX gateway in both directions,
to and from the public telex networks of every country in the world.
This means that you can send paper mail, and send and receive
telex messages, to and from anyone, anywhere, using your favorite
editing/reading software on your home UNIX(tm) machine. The TELEX
gateway also provides a crude (text only, but you can uuencode)
gateway to and from other electronic mail networks with TELEX
gateways.
4. New features are being added all the time, so don't be surprised
if the feature you ultimately find to be most valuable for you is
not even listed above. An alternative way to register for AT&T Mail
is to call 1-800-624-5123 from cu or a terminal, hit RETURN to
autobaud, and type "register" when prompted for user name. To
register a UNIX(tm) system with AT&T mail, or to talk with an AT&T
Mail representative (voice only), the number is 1-800-MAIL-672.
Adam Reed
ihnp4!npois!adam or attmail!adamlkw@csun.UUCP (04/23/86)
> AT&T Mail can be addressed > through any access point by using the UNIX system name "attmail". > > 1. AT&T Mail has transparent uucp access for any UNIX(tm) system > with the "mail" (note lower case) command as provided in AT&T > UNIX(tm) software distributions. PMX software is needed only if > your users require a menu-driven interface to electronic mail, or > if your "mail" command has been modified in incompatible ways. > AT&T Mail can be used as a message transport mechanism among > UNIX(tm) systems. Once your system is registered with AT&T Mail, > you will be able to send messages to, for example, Joe Bednar by > addressing them to attmail!lzmt!jab. The obvious question here seems to be: if AT&T is now running a centralized mail server, and charging for it, will they still see it as a Good Thing to be running a non-profit one, such as ihnp4? Comments? -- Larry Wake CSU Northridge Computer Center uucp: {ihnp4 | hplabs | psivax}!csun!lkw BITNET: RETPLKW@CALSTATE ARPA: RETPLKW%CALSTATE@WISCVM.WISC.EDU King's Messenger: 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA 91330 "It's like a big sneeze" -- Dr. Ruth Westheimer