See an unfamiliar term? Check the newsletter glossary.
M V C o m m u n i c a t o r
November 1993
Note: text copies of all issues of the monthly newsletter can be found
on mv in the public archive; look in /pub/mv/inews. They're also in
the online menu!
Electronic Billing
We'd prefer to send you your bills in an electronic message, but
we know that not everyone is prepared accept them that way. If we can
bill you electronically, please let us know by sending us an email
message to mv-admin@mv.mv.com or by dropping us a note. Electronic
bills will also include an electronic copy of this little newsletter.
You are still required to send us actual money, though.
New Lines
MV has installed several new phone lines, and a new entry point
into the hunt group for lower speed users. The new lines have been
added above the current hunt group, and support 1200 and 2400 baud
only (how many of you remember when that used to be called "high
speed?"). Making another entry point for 1200/2400 baud allows us to
better utilize our resources. Having these lines precede and hunt
down into the current hunt group means that you will still always get
the class of connection you want, provided that you dial the appropri-
ate number.
The three main access numbers follow. They are all valid for
UUCP as well as online logins. Please make a note of and use the
appropriate one. The complete list of telephone numbers is still
available under the information part of the menu, and in the file
/pub/mv/info/phone-numbers on MV.
If you need Dial
________________________________________
1200/2400 baud 603-429-3562
V.32/V.32bis (4800-14400) 603-424-7428
Telebit PEP or TurboPEP 603-429-1735
More about InfoPath for long distance callers
MV Communications offers Internet access to many communities via
local telephone dialup. As we have mentioned in the past, if you're
not in one of our local areas, you still have an alternative to dial-
ing long-distance. You can connect to us through New England
MV Communications PO Box 4963, Manchester, NH 03108 (603) 429-2223
MV Communicator - 2 - November, 1993
Telephone's InfoPath service, a data network reachable throughout New
Hampshire, by dialing a 1-800 number and using InfoPath to get to MV.
NET charges you a low per-minute rate plus a fee based on the amount
of data you transmit and receive over InfoPath. For interactive call-
ers who are not constantly transmitting large amounts of data, but who
are instead reading and pausing, or typing, this is ideal, and you can
save money versus using long distance.
However, you should know - and this also applies to our current
InfoPath customers - transferring data in bulk over InfoPath will not
save you money over dialing us direct. In fact, it can be more expen-
sive than long distance particularly if you are using a high speed
modem (such as a 9600 or 14400 baud V.32 or V.32bis modem). One
approach to get around this is to use InfoPath for all your interac-
tive needs (e.g., finding files on the net and putting them on your MV
account), but when you need to transfer data in bulk to and from MV,
call our modems directly to use high-speed data transfer.
If you combine this with one of the rate-saving long-distance
plans available (e.g., Dial-Around-603 from NET), you'll make the best
use of your time and money.
Upcoming Radio Events
David Brudnoy has been talking to well-known Internet authors on
his talk show on WBZ radio, and he has a couple more coming up. Tune
in November 16 to hear him talk with Carl Malamud, author of books on
the Internet and the force behind such projects as Internet Talk
Radio; and on November 30 when his guest will be Ed Krol, author of
The Whole Internet. Both shows are on 1030 AM radio, at 9-10 pm, and
accept calls at 617-254-1030.
If A Message Comes While You Are Away, And There Is No One To Hear It,
Does It Make A Sound?
Here's a tip for online account users who may have to be away
from their mailbox for a while. You can set up an automatic reply
mechanism that, when someone sends you mail, will respond to them and
give them a canned message for you. You can also have a copy of the
original message saved for you. Do this using the vacation program.
Here's how:
First, create a reply message in your home directory, with the
name .vacation.msg (note the period at the beginning of the name). An
example:
From: mem@mv.mv.com (Mark E. Mallett)
Subject: I'm not here right now, but...
I'm off on a toot right now, but I'll be back in time for
Christmas, so get those presents in early. Your mail has
been recorded and I'll reply to it when I get back.
MV Communications PO Box 4963, Manchester, NH 03108 (603) 429-2223
MV Communicator - 3 - November, 1993
Note that the message can include a message header, with a blank line
preceding the message body.
Next, initialize the vacation database with the command
vacation -i
vacation remembers who has received a notice, so that it doesn't send
a canned reply to the same person every time they send a note.
Finally, create a file called .forward in your home directory
that forwards your mail to the vacation program. If your username is
mem, your .forward file should contain:
\mem, "| /usr/bin/vacation mem"
This will cause mail to be sent to your mailbox as well as to the
vacation program for processing.
When you are back, just remove your .forward file (with the com-
mand
rm .forward), remove the files .vacation.db and .vacation.msg, and
open your presents.
MV Communications PO Box 4963, Manchester, NH 03108 (603) 429-2223