Date: Fri 06-Aug-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

iinfo-Juno-e-mail

Full Text:

GENB / LIBRARY

STD HD: Internet Info For Real People: Juno 3.0 Update

by Bob Brand

If it ain't broke, don't fix it! I echo this cliche concerning matters of

Internet software. However, the time has come to make an exception to the

rules. Juno (free e-mail) has upgraded its software to version 3.0. From my

experience, the last stable version was Juno 1.49. It fit on one 3.5" floppy

diskette. Juno Version 2.0 increased dramatically in size. It reached the

point where it had to be downloaded from the Website or installed from a CD

ROM. The added bloat (from features added to entice users to sign on for paid

services) did not justify potential problems that net-sters might encounter

when upgrading from V 1.49. Version 3.0 has changed that.

Behind The Power Curve

Juno, a recognized pioneer in free e-mail, has been eclipsed by HotMail (now

owned by Microsoft), Yahoo!, and other browser based free programs. Juno found

itself in the role of "odd man out" because direct access to Juno's private

network became a prerequisite for sending and receiving e-mail. Now, while

connected to an ISP via a telephone line, Juno users can perform mail

functions over the same ISP connection. In addition, limited multi-tasking

becomes possible. With older software, Juno took over the entire machine and

everything else was pushed aside. Essentially, Juno shares better with other

programs running simultaneously. Both features represent significant

improvements.

There is more.

Seasoned e-mailers have witnessed a rising tide of HTML embedded tags in

e-messages. This results from the default mail settings in many browsers

having been set to HTML instead of plain text. Sadly, this situation will only

continue. Some day HTML will become the standard. Reading e-mail with Juno V

3.0 automatically displays the HTML version of the message. However, V 3.0

sends plain text to the recipient. This feature is another subtle yet valuable

upgrade.

Spam Issues

There continues to be an unacceptably high level of spam (unsolicited

commercial e-mail) throughout the Net. Juno has made an effort to stem the

tide, at least in a small way. When a spam message is received in my JUNO

account, I send the offending e-mail, along with the entire header to

abuse@JUNO.com. Typically, I receive a form letter thanking me for my interest

along with a comment that the spammer did not post the epistle from Juno. A

minor annoyance with V 3.0 is that the full header cannot be viewed (at least

I have not figured a way to do this). As a result, I have stopped sending spam

examples to JUNO because without the full routing information (found in a

complete header), the information is useless.

File Attachments

Juno continues to restrict features of "free" e-mail in an attempt to move

subscribers to premium (paid) services. A limited file attachment feature is

now available in V 3.0, however; unencoded attachments (initially, Juno

converted binary attachments to ASCII) disappeared many months ago. On the

other hand, the absence of binary attachments means that viruses can not be

transmitted via a Juno attachment using the free program.

According to a Juno press release, the April '99 subscriber level stands as

seven million. Days of double digit growth for Juno are in the past. Rumors

float on the Net that Juno will be sold. AOL is believed to be the likely

buyer. Juno recently completed a "Website makeover." New features (picture and

sound gallery, Web page building called Junoland, weather check, and more)

offer good reasons to visit the site again for devout Juno fans.

Loyal Juno users who have not been lured away to HotMail or any other free

e-mail software programs should upgrade to V 3.0. In spite of Juno's

limitations, it continues to offer one of the best values on the Internet.

URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) of interest:

http://www.juno.com/

(This is the 166th of a series of elementary articles designed for surfing the

Internet. Next, The Banner Ad is the subject on tap. Stay tuned. Until next

week, happy travels through cyberspace. Previous issues of Internet Info for

Real People can be found: http://www.thebee.com. Please e-mail comments and

suggestions: rbrand@JUNO.com or editor@thebee.com.)