AFN e-mail using Netscape

Netscape can be used very well to access your Alachua Freenet e-mail, using the IMAP or POP3 protocols. However, IMAP is recommended as it places less of a processing burden on the server and allows you to manage your e-mail from different locations by storing the folders on the server.

To configure Netscape to access e-mail on AFN

• Start Netscape in the browser (Communicator) mode rather than e-mail (Messenger) mode. Note: these instructions are for version 4.7, other versions may differ in the windows and menus presented, but you may be able to use the general concepts to adapt to other versions.
• On the menu bar (just below the title bar at the top) click "Edit" --> "Preferences".
• Click the plus ("+") next to "Mail & Newsgroups".
• Click "Identity", then make sure your name and e-mail address are correct. You don't click OK until all items have been entered.
• Click "Mail Servers". If you don't have "imap.afn.org" listed under "Incoming Mail Servers", click "Add". If it's already listed, click "Edit".
  • For the "General" tab, enter imap.afn.org in the "Server Name" field, the "Server Type" (a non-entry field) should be "IMAP Server". (If the server type is POP Server and you want to change the configuration to IMAP, you'll have to delete the current server configuration and add a new one.) Enter your AFN username, for example afn99999, in the "User Name" field. The "Remember Password" and "Check for mail every 15 minutes" boxes can be clicked as options, but if you check "Remember Password", anyone who uses that computer will be able to access your e-mail.
  • For the "IMAP" tab, leave the top two boxes ("Mark new folders for offline download" and "Use secure connection") unchecked. Under "When I delete a message" click the circle next to "Move it to the trash folder". Click the check boxes next to "Clean up Inbox on exit" and "Empty trash on exit".
  • For the "Advanced" tab, next to IMAP Server Directory, enter "mail/" (without the quotes, but the trailing forward slash at the end is correct). The box next to "Show only subscribed folders is checked by default, but should be clicked to remove it. The other two boxes should remain checked. Ignore anything that is in the preferences for name spaces fields, as the AFN server will fill these in automatically.
  • Click OK at the bottom of the "Mail Server Properties" window after changes have been made.
• Enter "smtp.afn.org" (without the quotes) in the "Outgoing (SMTP) mail server" field. Note: if you use a different Internet provider rather than using the AFN dial numbers, then you will need to enter the appropriate outgoing mail server name for that Internet provider. Most Internet providers won't relay mail for other agencies. The "Outgoing mail server user name" is your AFN user name. The "Use Secure Socket Layer (SSL)...." option can be "Never", and the default "Local Mail Directory" can be left to the Netscape default entry.
• Click "Newsgroup Servers"
  All defaults work as long as news.afn.org is entered as the newsgroup server. This will only work if you're using dial-up connection through AFN, otherwise you need to use the newsgroup server of your ISP. Refer to Netscape documentation for information about using newsgroups.
• Skip "Addressing", as the defaults work fine.
• Click "Messages"
  Click the pull-down menu under "Forwarding and Replying to Messages" to select the "Quoted" option rather than "As Attachment". Some mail clients don't handle attachments well.
• Skip "Windows Settings", as the defaults work fine.
• Click "Copies and Folders"
  The handling of copies of mail sent is a matter of personal preference, and you may want to experiment with the different options. Our recommendation is to unclick "Place a copy in folder 'Sent'..." and to click BCC: . Sending a "blind" carbon copy to yourself lets you know the mail system worked when you read your own copy, and allows you to file it from your INBOX or delete it. The same thing applies to newgroup messages. However, store Drafts and Templates on "Local Mail" (you may need to click "Choose Folder" to select "Local Mail") in case you have worked on a draft and sending fails due to network problem. You'll be able to save in the local folder temporarily until the network connection is restored.
• Click "Formatting"
  For message formatting, click on "Use the plain text editor to compose messages", as some e-mail clients don't display HTML and they will see all the HTML formatting, making it difficult to read the message.
• Skip both "Return Receipts" and "Disk Space" as the defaults work fine.
• Click "OK" to close the "Preferences" window.
• Click "File" --> "Exit" (or click the "X" in the upper-right corner of the Netscape window) to close Netscape. It has to be restarted for all configuration changes to take effect.