Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!ucsfcgl!cca.ucsf.edu!wet!epsilon
From: epsilon@wet.UUCP (Eric P. Scott)
Newsgroups: news.newusers.questions
Subject: Re: CompuServe and other places near and far
Summary: usenet is a thing unto itself; Internet->CIS addressing
Message-ID: <697@wet.UUCP>
Date: 21 Oct 89 19:38:04 GMT
References: <2636@hub.UUCP>
Reply-To: epsilon@wet.UUCP (Eric P. Scott)
Distribution: news.newusers.questions
Organization: Wetware Diversions, San Francisco
Lines: 47

In article <2636@hub.UUCP> pete@cavevax.ucsb.edu writes:
>I know it gets posted monthly, but do you think someone could mail me
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ since when?
>the addressing schemes for various online services not directly
>connected to UseNet.

No, I don't think someone could.
USENET is not MAIL
USENET is not UUCP
USENET is not part of UNIX
(ad nauseum)

USENET is a LOGICAL network--it crosses over distinctions between
uucp, Internet, DECNET, BITNET II, etc.  How you *mail* to
various places is a question for your local site--this has
NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with usenet, even if your newsreading
software provides an interface to your local mail transport.
You *do not* mail "from usenet."


* * * *
* *IF* you already know how to mail to Internet, you would
* address an individual CIS/EasyPlex (7xxxx,yyyyy) user as
* 7xxxx.yyyyy@compuserve.com -- i.e. change the , to . and add
* @compuserve.com.  There is a 50,000 character limit on each
* message sent this way.  There is a different addressing scheme
* for business (InfoPlex) customers and Compuserve employees, and
* those are not subject to the 50,000 limit.  You can mail to
* postmaster@compuserve.com for more information.
* * * *

If you don't already know how to mail to Internet, I can't help
you--different sites handle this in different ways.  Find out
what works for YOUR site.  P.S. If your mail relay still doesn't
understand MX records (or worse, doesn't even use DNS), you are
in trouble.


Compuserve is a relatively easy example.  Interesting places with
better connectivity require considerably more explanation.  I
tried putting together a "cheat sheet" for an Internet site
listing various networks and how to get to them; even with major
omissions and "contact XXX for more information" it still filled
the better part of a page ... in small type.  Doing this "right"
would require a looseleaf notebook and an update service.

					-=EPS=-