English 200 (Spring 1997)

Computers and Technology: Pine

Professor Mark Lussier

Technology Instructor Bruce Matsunaga

April 23, 1997

Introduction to Pine

Logging on to a UNIX server:

When the student opens Telnet, he/she has to log into the system by entering their A.S.U. email ID at the login prompt, followed by their password. It is worth pointing out to the students that UNIX is case sensitive, and most commands are in lower case. The student will then type in "menu" to access the pine menu options. From this screen they can find their A.S.U. Email address in the upper left corner.

Creating an Alias:

Since we are in the menu, have the students access "post office account update" (#5) on the A.S.U. menu #1. Here they will have to enter their A.S.U. id (SS #) and their password (initially their date of birth). From here the student can edit their post office information and add an Alias.

Have the students press Ctrl + a to access the alias menu. From here they can add or delete up to five aliases. An alias allows the system to recognize incoming mail with an abbreviated address. For example, a normal A.S.U. email address looks like this (someone28389@imap1.asu.edu) an alias looks like (me@asu.edu). After typing in an alias the system will check to make sure the alias is not being used by another party. After receiving confirmation, the student can press Ctrl + x to exit the system.

Creating a Signature File:

Another tool is the signature file. This is a text file that attaches itself at the end of each message the student writes. This is similar to a business card attached with a snailmail letter. Often people include their email address, job title and even a quote. Try to discourage the students from making excessively long signatures, it is poor netiquette.

Students can create a signature file in Menu #2 option #1. This option brings up a blank Pico text document. All the student has to do is type what information they want to appear at the end of each message and press Ctrl + X, and then "y’" to save the new file over the old.

The Pine Menu:

Now it is time to start Pine. Back at Menu #1, have the students press "1" to start Pine. The Pine menu screen will appear. In the upper right hand corner the menu displays how many messages are in the inbox (the folder new messages are stored). The menu provides an options list at the center of the screen and at the bottom. Students can select with the arrow keys or press the letter designated at a shortcut. For instance, current folder index is "I" while Compose new message is "c." If students have problems they can always refer to the help menu.

Adding Addresses:

Have the students select Address Book by pressing "a." This will bring up a list of address books, the default should be "personal address book." Select the personal address book and press Enter. If the student doesn’t have any addresses, the book will be empty. Notice the menu for this screen is at the bottom. Have the students add an address by pressing "a." They will be able to enter the full name of the person, the email address and a nickname. Nicknames allow the student to simply type the nickname into the "to" field when composing a new message. Have the students return to the main menu by pressing "m."

Composing New Messages:

Now the student is ready to compose a message. Have the student press "c" to open a new message. Their signature file should be at the bottom. Have the student enter the nickname they entered into the "To" field and press enter. The full email address should appear in the "To" field. "CC" stand for carbon copy. This sends a duplicate message to the addresses listed in this field. Note: More than one address may be used in either the "To" or "CC" fields. Nicknames or full addresses can be listed but should have a comma between them.

"Attchmnt" is for attaching a file to an email message. Unfortunately, with Pine, attached messages typically have to be stored in the student’s AFS space. Another problem with attaching a file is that not all email systems are MIME (Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extensions) compliant, and some users may not be able to read attachments.

In the "subject" field, the student can write the subject of the mail message.

Under the line the reads "message text" the student can type in the message. When the student is finished they can check spelling by pressing Ctrl + t and send the message by pressing Ctrl + x. Pine double checks with most commands and asks for confirmation of the command.

Reading and saving messages:

If students have mail in their inbox, they can read it by pressing "I" from the Pine Main Menu. The index give an index of all the mail in their inbox. By highlighting the message they with to read and pressing Enter, the message will be brought up. The student can use the arrow keys or the space bar to move through the message. All function keys are listed at the bottom.

If the student wishes to save a message, then they must create a folder to save it into. This can be done at Folder List. From the main menu the student can press "l" which will take them to the Folder List menu. Have them select "Folder-collection <IMAP Server>" and press Enter. They can add a new folder by pressing "a." From this menu they can read saved mail as well. It is best to keep the names of folders simple and easy to remember. After folders are created, to save a message while viewing it, the student can just press "s" and type in the folder name or press Ctrl + t to view the folders.

Return to English 200.

Created by Bruce Matsunaga

*Some material from The Pine Users Guide