I'm assuming at this point that you've already got the Web browser program up and
running via the CompuServe network on your Series 5. See previous page for details.
This is important because it means that you've got all the network and modem
settings correctly configured - so any problems getting Email to work after this shouldn't
be down to either of these issues. Of course, it's not essential that you've used
Web. I'm just trying to set up a 'will work under these conditions' scenario - not a
'catch every possible outcome'.
There are 4 basic steps involved in getting it to work:-
1. Registering a
Username on your existing CompuServe account.
2. Creating a POP3 mailbox for
your Username.
3. Creating
Mail-Only password access to your POP3 mailbox. (NB: See warning comments)
4.
Configuring your Psion's Email program to access it correctly.
5. I know I said 4 - but these are useful hints and
tips that I'll add to as and when they come up <g>.
1. Registering a Username on your existing CompuServe account.
This is the easy bit - and many will already have done this! Just 'Go Register' from the CIS Main Menu and follow the instructions. Registering a Username allows you to change a numeric CompuServe Internet address (eg. 123456.7890@compuserve.com) to a more meaningful one (eg. john_smith@compuserve.com).
2.
Creating a POP3 mailbox for your Username.
'Go INTEXPLORER' from the CIS Main Menu. Once in the forum, click on the 'Download Area'
button and choose the menu option to download IE 3.02 (Win95) - English (US) - Full
Install. Then 'Go VKEY' from the CIS Main Menu. Click on Download Virtual Key, Windows
95/NT, English (v 3.1.3). Now you have the latest versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer
3.02 and Virtual Key Version 3.13 - both of which are on the freebie CompuServe 3.04 CDs
being given away by every magazine at the moment. If in any doubt though, it's probably
easier to use the downloadable files. I would also strongly recommend downloading either
M32SETUP.EXE and V32SETUP.EXE (if using Windows'95) or M16SETUP.EXE and V16SETUP.EXE (if
using Windows 3.1x). These are available from the EMAILCOM forum. 'Go EMAILCOM' from the
CIS Main Menu. Once in the forum, go to file library: POP3 Email Service [12] and
download. These files are graphical walk-through demos of how to set up and install the
first two programs. The 1st time I tried the set-up procedure, I didn't use them - and I
got it wrong! Hence I'd strongly recommend using them. NB: The walkthroughs say that
some of the other programs are in EMAILCOM. They're not - they're in INTEREXPLORER
as per above.
Run MxxSETUP.EXE and then VxxSETUP.EXE, following the instructions in each. What you'll
end up with at the end of it is an additional new CompuServe mail box based on the
Username you chose in 1) above (eg. john_smith). This new Internet address / mail box will
have the form Username@csi.com (eg. john_smith@csi.com) and will now be (only) accessible
using the Microsoft Mail program and its RPA encryption software (the Virtual Key
software).
Note: There are now also walkthroughs for Outlook Express, Explorer 4, Netscape 3 and 4,
Outlook 97, Eudora Lite, and others. You'll still need to activate the Mail-only password
access (see below) however before you can use these other programs. I've switched to using
both Netscape Communicator (ie. 4.x) and Outlook'98 and I can vouch that Mail-Only
password access POP3 works fine with these - although I haven't actually tried any of the
associated walkthroughs for them. I haven't tried any of the other mail-capable programs
and so can't vouch for their usability with POP3 - although I'd be surprised if they
didn't work...
3. Creating Mail-Only
password access to your POP3 mailbox
At present, the new mailbox is POP3 compliant (as per Psion's MSGSUITE) but also requires
RPA encryption access (which Psion's MSGSUITE doesn't have!). However, CompuServe have
come up with non-RPA password access for email only. Using your new Internet Explorer,
visit: http://www.csi.com/communications
and follow the links for POP3 settings.
You should get to a page that will allow you to set up and/or change a separate mail-only
password which you can then use with your Psion (or any other standard mail reading
program).
Additional comments: Message Suite 1.5 does have encrypted password capability (only v's 1.0 and 1.1 didn't). However, at the time of this update (17th August '98), I'm not sure whether you can get away without setting up a separate mail-only POP3 password. Since my system has now been set up as described above, I don't yet know whether I can properly test to see whether this step is necessary or not. I do know however that following this step won't do any harm and does guarantee that the Message Suite setup will work. If anyone can verify whether or not this step is necessary, please email me and let me know.
4. Configuring
your Psion's Email program to access it correctly.
Run 'Email' and goto Tools/Settings/Email... The settings are:-
Outgoing
Your name = your name (eg. John Smith)
Email address = Username@csi.com (eg. john_smith@csi.com)
Email (SMTP) server = smtp.site1.csi.com
Use MIME encoding = <enabled> NB: See my comments about using MIME
encoding here.
Auto send on opening = <enabled>
Incoming
POP3 server = pop.site1.csi.com
Mailbox login = Username (eg. john_smith)
Mailbox password = the mail-only password you chose in 3) above
5. Hints and Tips
Section
a) Additional comments (especially if you're upgrading from
V1.0/1.1 to v1.5 - but applies equally to new installs)
b) Automatic forwarding of email to your new @csi.com mailbox
If you want to automatically forward your compuserve.com mail to the new csi.com mailbox
then connect to:-
http://www.csi.com/communications
and select the "preferences" link on the left of that page followed by the
"redirection" link. You can switch this re-direct facility off and on at will.
c) Identifying People in Message Suite from their Compuserve Numerical ID email
addresses
This suggestion comes from a question Chris Hare asked. He wondered if there was any easy
way to identify apart a number of Compuserve Numerical ID email addresses when they're
stored in Message Suite Email. In other words, if you've got a number of addresses
(123456.789@compuserve.com, 234567,890@compuserve.com, etc.) how do you know who's who?
There's any easy cheat for this. All email programs that I'm aware of (including Psion's
Email) ignore anything in brackets in the address. Hence if Bob Smith has the address
123456,789@compuserve.com then you just enter his address as:
(Bob Smith) 123456,789@compuserve.com
into Message Suite and the Email program ignores the "(Bob Smith)" bit and
treats it like an ordinary internet address. This method also works of course for some of
the more obscure but supposedly descriptive internet addresses that are around these days.
I believe it also works with curly and square brackets too - though I haven't tried it
yet...
d) 'Moving' v's 'Copying' from your Remote Mailbox in Message Suite Email
This is something that had me puzzled for a while. Try as I might I couldn't get the
'move' command to delete the mail in the Remote Mailbox - instead it always just seemed to
'copy' it without deleting. I thought it was a bug to begin with until I realised what was
happening. The solution is once you've told Email to 'move' a particular mail, you have to
'close' the Remote Mailbox BEFORE 'disconnect'-ing. Otherwise it just doesn't fully
complete the 'move' command - it only 'copy's it. Obvious and probably written up in the
instructions - but hey, I'm an engineer - what do you need instructions for?!? ;-)
That's all folks - good luck!
