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Making Better Use of Netscape: | ||
 If you use Netscape and are having difficulty sending mail from the Netscape browser, we hope this article will help overcome that obstacle. We will also focus on enlarging the view space on your monitor while browsing the net. For some this may be old hat. For others it could be of help. In starting this project I thought it would be a piece of cake because I've configured this and other browser software in the past. Consequently I blew off my (working) configuration and wrote this column while setting it back up. Never a problem before but it wouldn't work this time. Had to spend most of a day trouble shooting and it was all because I made an entry where no entry should be. Netscape is a wonderful browser (normally) and I do recommend trying it if you're not currently using it. It's available for download from Netscape's home page - http://home.netscape.com/. Because not all of us have the luxury of large monitors let's address the issue of enlarging the viewing area while surfing on-line (you do not have to be connected to do this). Open Netscape as you normally would. If it attempts to connect you click cancel. Usually some kind of error dialog will appear when you do that, just click OK. This should give you an open Netscape window. Click on "Options". In the "Options" dialog box, below listed "Preference" selections, you have "Show Toolbar", "Show Location" and "Show Directory Buttons". Click on "Show Toolbar", it goes away. Open "Options" again and click on "Show Location" and it goes away. Same for "Show Directory Buttons" and Voila; we have a larger viewing area. Don't worry that they're gone forever. Just repeat the process to bring them back. They'll also appear automatically the next time you use "Netscape" if you exit with them hidden.
 Going forward, if you've ever encountered a situation where you wanted to send e-mail from a web page you were in but an error message advised that mail preferences weren't properly configured read on. The first step is to determine whether it's configured properly now. Click on "File" on the menu bar to get the following menu:
New Browser "New Browser" is kinda cool so we'll take a brief look at that function before we're done. To test your current mail capability click "New Mail Message". In the MAIL TO area: type in Vintage@nbn.com. The next line "Cc" is carbon copy. You can ignore that for now. In "Subject" area type TEST, and in the body of the mail type THIS IS A TEST. It is now time to connect to your online service (log on). Above the area you've just been working in you'll see that the mail toolbar contains "Send," "Quote," "Attach" and "Address." Press "Send." (For every "Test" note I receive I will reply with instructions on how to configure a signature block for any signature you would like to automatically appear at the end of your messages.) If you logged on and got an error message when you clicked "Send," log off (hang up). We'll make some adjustments then try again later. From "Netscape's" menu bar click "Options" then click "Mail and News Preferences" to get a dialog box that displays "Appearance, Composition, Servers, Identity and Organization" on the menu bar. Let's not concern ourselves with "Appearance" at this time. Click "Composition". Here you see "By default e-mail a copy of outgoing messages to": type in your e-mail address. This is especially useful for keeping a record of whom you've sent mail while browsing the net as a copy will be forwarded to you. The next choice "By default `copy' outgoing messages to the file": If this has text entered leave it. Otherwise leave blank. The next option "Servers" is where your primary mail capability comes into play. The first choice "Outgoing Mail (SMTP) Server" is asking you to type in your assigned service provider mail address. I'll use my e-mail address as an example "vintage@nbn.com". My entry in this (SMTP) slot is: mail.nbn.com. If your e-address happens to be Aardvark@pyramid.com you would type in: mail.pyramid.com. The same if it were webmaster@azcentral.com. You would type in mail.azcentral.com. (Do not reproduce the period I placed after .com). The next line reads "Incoming Mail (POP3) Server": Here I inserted vintage@mail.nbn.com. You would type in your screen name; in my case (vintage) then (@) then (mail server), i.e. Vintage@mail.nbn.com.
The next line asks for "POP3 User Name. Who's the user? That's me, in my example,
and you if you're following directions. By typing my name in here my return address reads, Jim
Wallace
O.K. we're done with the hard stuff. The next item on the menu bar is "Identity" and is
fairly straight forward. This information is required to identify you in e-mail messages and news
articles. The first request, "Your Name" will be the most difficult in this area if you're one of those
who think the capitol of Texas is "T". The second line can be almost as confusing, it asks "Your
Email Address" while the third line asks where you would like replies sent, usually same as second,
and of course the fourth is self explanatory.
Next step click on "Organization". No need to fool around in here except to enter your
company name if you like.
Let's see if it works this time; You can go on-line now, or after you've typed the message
but you do need to click "New Mail Message" to get started. In the MAIL TO area: type in
Vintage@nbn.com. Ignore "Cc". In "Subject" type TEST, in the body type THIS IS A TEST.
Click "Send" and I'll reply with instructions on how to configure a signature block.
Now, back to the first item listed, as promised above, (New Browser). Click on file click
on New Browser. No change right? Wrong. You are now looking at a duplicate copy of your
browser. If you close the one you're looking at you'll still have the original page before you. The
advantage of this is that a duplicate browser permits the site you are in to remain open for instant
retrieval while browsing other areas through your "New Browser". This is handy for reference
purposes, holding a site that you're not finished with or downloading from but still want to browse
other sites while downloading takes place. Good luck.
In closing, would you like the capability of pressing a key and having what you see on
your monitor printed? Print Screen Deluxe is offering a downloadable copy for evaluation at
http://www.janesway.com/ jes-printscreen.html
The Wine Curmudgeon
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