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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!mgnetp!ihnp4!stolaf!umn-cs!smith
From: smith@umn-cs.UUCP (Richard Smith)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: Alternate news/information Services - (nf)
Message-ID: <456@umn-cs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 17-May-84 21:01:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: umn-cs.456
Posted: Thu May 17 21:01:46 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 18-May-84 07:38:06 EDT
Sender: notes@umn-cs.UUCP
Organization: Computer Science Dept., U of Minn, Mpls, MN
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#R:sask:-3800:umn-cs:6900027:000:2487
umn-cs!smith    May 17 15:55:00 1984

Re: MCI-MAIL, more details and how to subscribe

  Several people asked for more info about MCI-MAIL, and now that I've
unpacked my computer (and related documentation) I can reply.  Sorry
about the delay.

  About 6 months ago Telecom Digest published brief details of how to
self-register for using MCI-MAIL so I tried it.  They have a toll free
number (800) 323-7751 that supports both 300 and 1200 (212) baud modems.
MCI prompts for a user name, you type "register" with password "register",
and you go right into an interactive registration procedure.  A week or
two later they'll send you a packet of information including your user
name and password.  They didn't charge me a thing until I really used
the system a couple of months later.  Here are example costs:

Sending messages:  there's no charge to RECEIVE, only to SEND.  Also,
    you can send to user "MCIHELP" for free.  Note that there's NO
    connect time charge.

	Electronic letter:				$1.00
	Mailed (paper) letter:				$2.00
	Overnight (paper) letter, delivered by courier:	$9.00
	4 hour (paper) letter, delivered by courier:	$25.00

Dow Jones Services:  these are charged by "connect" time according to
    which service you're using (i.e. which "menu" was most recently
    printed).  Note that costs are for 300 baud access; they DOUBLE
    the fee if you're running 1200 baud (it's worth it!).  "Day" and
    "Night" refer to prime and non-prime time rates.

						Day	Night
	INTRO menu (help info)			FREE	FREE
	Stock quotes				1.20	 .20
	News, general info services		 .60	 .30
	Airline & other financial databases	1.20	 .90

   The stock quotes are delayed by at least 15 minutes by stock exchange
rules.  They also have 'historical' stock prices online.  They have quotes
for "stocks, bonds, Treasury issues, options, mutual funds, national OTC
qoutes, foreign bonds..." etc.

    For airline information they have "OAG Online" which lets you look up
plane flights by date and airports, listed by fare or by daily schedule.
The listings give details of fare restrictions if relevant.

    To keep the cost low, I enter the Dow Jones menus for only brief
periods, and give the command to switch back to MCI whenever possible.
I don't let Dow Jones charge me for 'think time' and MCI doesn't charge
me for 'network' time.

    So, I'm hardly tempted by other database services -- they're all so much
more expensive than MCI with its Dow-Jones gateway.

Rick.
[smith.umn-cs@CSNet-Relay]
 [...ihnp4!umn-cs!smith]