Web Browser and Mail Client Selection

1
Web Browser and Mail Client Selection

• How to get the best from the web and e-mail

2
What prompted this?

• Universitys move to SSL mail authentication
• Netscape 4.7x no longer handles some web pages
• Concerns over mail backups

3
What is SSL mail authentication and why should I
care?

• When you check mail your username and password
  can be seen with a network sniffer
• SSL encrypts this information
• Problem Netscape 4.7x does not support SSL
  authentication

4
Netscape 4.7x no longer handles some web pages

• What Netscape 4.7x wont do
• I-Frames
• XML
• What Netscape 4.7x doesnt do well
• Tables (in some cases)
• Cascading Style Sheets
• Example Hokie Spa (pay stubs), My VT

5
You mean my mail isnt backed up?

• If you are using Netscape 4.7x with a profile on
  Z it is.
• If you are using anything else except
  Outlook/Exchange, it isnt.

6
Can you back up my mail?

• In a word No, not if its stored on your local
  machine (all Eudora, OE, Outlook w/POP mail, and
  some Netscape users)
• Would require custom scripts for each computer
• Would require moving a large amount of data
  across the network
• Prone to failure at the least little glitch

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So what should I do?

• We recommend Outlook/Exchange for mail and
  Internet Explorer for the web

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What is Outlook/Exchange?

• A premium mail service provided by the university
  for faculty and staff at no cost
• In addition to mail it provides calendaring and
  allows for delegation of permissions
• Mail and your contact list (address book) can
  stay on the universitys servers
• Exchange mailboxes are backed up regularly
• Good remote access

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Calendaring
10
More Calendaring
11
Delegation of Permissions
12
Remote Access
Web Outlook has similar look and feel to Outlook
13
One more Benefit With Outlook/Exchange

• No message size limit when sending mail from one
  Exchange user to another (if everyone used it you
  could send each other large files)
• If you are using POP mail the limit is 4.5 MB
• That includes message overhead (stuff you dont
  see) so the effective limit is even less!
• Mail going through POP servers still have the 4.5
  MB limit

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Finally

• Have you ever tried to set up a meeting with
  multiple participants?
• Can require many messages back and forth
• With Outlook/Exchange you can choose a time and
  send an email to all participants. Exchange will
  find a time all participants are free

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Any drawbacks to Outlook/Exchange?

• Mailbox limited to 50 MB total, but old items can
  be archived to a file on your Z drive
  automatically and accessed at any time (mailbox
  size can be increased at the discretion of the
  postmaster)
• Doesnt support some proprietary functionality,
  like Eudoras nested address books

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Current users in ESM

• Full functionalityDr. DillardDr. LeskoDr.
  CaseDr. Hyer (new user) SheliaMark

• Calendar onlyDr. DowlingBevJoycePatNancySand
  ie

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I still dont want to change!

• If you are using Netscape 4.7x you must change to
  something else by September or use Webmail. After
  that Netscape will not work
• You can continue to use Eudora, OE, or Outlook
  (POP mail) but your mail and address book will
  not be backed up. If your hard drive fails, its
  gone.

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Compromise!

• You can use Eudora with Exchange via IMAP
• Your mail will be backed up by the Exchange
  administrators
• The Exchange limitations on mailbox size still
  apply
• No Autoarchiving
• You cant view calendars

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And it looks like this
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Web BrowserWhy IE instead of Netscape?

• IE has better support than Netscape
• IE is faster
• IE has a cleaner interface
• Netscape installs additional unwanted software

21
Any drawbacks to IE?

• Its by Microsoft, so it crashes every once in a
  while.

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I dont care. I still want Netscape !

• Have it your way. We can install Netscape 7
• Just be aware that if you have problems with it
  we may not be able to resolve them.

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Must I decide now?

• Mail changes take place this fall
• It would be best to decide before things get
  hectic with the new semester

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Links to Mail System Information
Configure your mail client for SSL
usage http//answers.vt.edu/ask4help/email/vtkb1
613.htm Client comparison (things that work with
Exchange) http//www.computing.vt.edu/email_and_c
alendaring/exchange/clientfeatures.html Set up
your own Exchange account at Hokies Self
Service https//hokiespw.ais.vt.edu/work/selfser
vice/authenticate.php (log on with your pid and
click the My Exchange tab) Information on
configuring Outlook http//www.computing.vt.edu/
email_and_calendaring/exchange/index.html