Email client for Apple IIe?

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IIeBoy's picture
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Email client for Apple IIe?

Is the Uthernet II compatible with the Apple //e? And if so, is there any way to send/receive email on the //e?

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

Uthernet II works with the Apple //e... I'm using the card since a couple of weeks together with Contiki
The actual Contiki doesn't deploy an eMail client anylonger because of todays security requirements can't be meet.

Hope this helps.

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

Thanks. Is there any way to access email on the //e at all? You're saying Contiki doesn't have email on the //e?

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

I searched myself a couple of time and didn't find any.

Maybe someone else knows about such an email client. But think about... I do believe that such a client will not be able to support todays security standard. Todays SMTP servers are not supporting unencrypted emails any longer. I do use a Sinclair ZX81 and here a counterpart has set-up a SMTP server which aupports unencrypted emailing. While this is a handmade solution and not supported by local providers.

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

At what point are these emails encrypted? I do not believe that email of the majority of people I correspond with are encrypted.

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

Thanks. Would your counterpart be willing to share access to that SMTP server to trustworthy fellow retrocomputing enthusiasts?

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

rr.com
roadrunner.com
twc.com

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_encryption

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_encryption

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

If you are really determined, you could get yourself an Apple2Pi, run sendmail on it, retrieve your SSL encrypted mail, and reoffer it over plain text SMTP. You could then access it from the Apple II with a plain SMTP client.

Of course, you could just use the RPi to access your mail. If it is installed in an Apple II, is that just as good?

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

rr.com
roadrunner.com
twc.com

These aren't SMTP. Can you clarify what you are suggesting please?

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

If you are really determined, you could get yourself an Apple2Pi, run sendmail on it, retrieve your SSL encrypted mail, and reoffer it over plain text SMTP. You could then access it from the Apple II with a plain SMTP client.

Of course, you could just use the RPi to access your mail. If it is installed in an Apple II, is that just as good?

For me, that feels like cheating. I'd like to achieve it natively. Biggrin

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

And if so, is there any way to send/receive email on the //e?

Not yet, but because the Uthernet II has a built-in TCP/IP stack, the work of making a client is considerably less than with previous Ethernet interface cards for the Apple II series.

There's been a lot of talk of SSL and encryption so far. I think that's a red herring. Don't let it deter you, because as far as I'm aware, you can still set up a POP3, IMAP, and SMTP servers to use plain-text transfer with no encryption. You could do this as an "at-home" setup.

Once you have the servers, then you just need an understanding of SMTP (pretty simple, I think) and POP3. Just read the RFCs for good descriptions of how these protocols work. SMTP is defined by RFC 821. It's basically just sending lines of text to a server. For the POP3 protocol you will want to refer to RFC 1939. Now that's got a little more going on than SMTP, but still it's all within the reach of an assembly language program on our Apple II.

Assembly language will give you the best results.

It's still a big project, because you still have to write the front-end, the user-interface, but it's entirely possible and will fit within the constraints of an 8-bit Apple IIe.

I would love to commit to this project, because it's just one of a series of programs I'd like to write for the Uthernet II, and I know I could finish it, but I have waaay too many time commitments right now. Sad

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

You know, I ran my own mailserver for my own domain for years on a Linux box in my home office, so "rolling your own" unencrypted servers for Apple II emailing is certainly possible. However, for the same effort you might as well just telnet/serial terminal into a Pi running a text-based email client. Either way, your Apple II is in need of a supporting computer to do any real emailing...

-Warr

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

Could you please post some addresses of actual telnet services where we can send and recive emails?
Thanks!

I use the Uthernet I - I have an old version of contiki with email client for sending emails-but it doesn't work with my email provider Sad

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

To my knowledge and based on todays security reasons, there isn't any provider that supports unencrypted emails any longer. As mentioned above by someone else, you need to set-up something by your own for example using a RASPI providing you with an email server that allows unencrypted emailing and which will then act as interface to your provider by doing the encryption.

Telnet itself doesn't support emailing. So don't mix-up old Telnet Client and Server technology to be used for emailing.
This is a wrong assumption. I recomment some internet research to get an understanding of Telnet and emailing.

Telnet
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telnet

eMail
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email

SMTP
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Mail_Transfer_Protocol

TLS
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_Layer_Security

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

I have done some research and I have come across some information about this subject.

I also ran (many years ago) a few domain names and a bunch of servers on my home connection. My domain is now preserved in the internet archive wayback machine because of this. I now use a free webhost for my website. The e-mail server I used was ipswitch imail server (I do not remember if the specific one I used was called, "imail express or ipswitch imail server express or just imail server).

Ipswitch imail server is no longer free.

If you can download an older free version like I did then you might be able to get one running so that an apple iie can use it.

I have also found another e-mail server which is still free. It is called, "hmail server".

This website tells you how to set it up:

http://www.abyssunderground.co.uk/installing-hmailserver.php

There is yet another free e-mail server called, "Mercury Mail Transport System"

Their site:

http://www.pmail.com/

There are also lots of alternatives out there:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_mail_servers

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

tokabln - you did not understand - some times ago it was f.e. possible to reach the Unix of the University of Washington with an modem (I used an old Anderson Jacobson accoustic coppler) - there I was able to use Pine to work with emails. I meant something similar.

insanitor - Thanks a lot!

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

http://apple2.aliross.co.uk/

nice video for usage with "Linux Raspberry Pi Model B" - but so far not a "real Aplle II on it's own" solution ...

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

Well I do understand what you are looking for.

What you've done at the University site is to use the Pine email client (underlying Linux/Unix) at a Univsity computer/server via Telnet session. To be honest... this isn't an email client that run's at your Apple, right? Pine runs at the University server and not on your Apple II.

Contiki offers a Telnet Client... so you might do the same here using the Telnet client to contact Pine at a Server who's running this but again, this isn't an email client that run's at your Computer which is the subject of this thread.

When it comes to your question Could you please post some addresses of actual telnet services where we can send and recive emails?... I need to tell you... that Telnet doesn 't offer any email service... while Pine does (via Telnet as Communication Interface).

So... taking your last post into consideration I need to believe, that you are too looking for a native Apple IIe solution and not for a Telnet driven Pine usage, right?

Hope this now clarifies the differences between Telnet / Pine / email client and what ever you are looking for.

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

tokabln - finally you have understood what I said with "Could you please post some addresses of actual telnet services where we can send and recive emails?"

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

Just a bit puzzled, right.

If you are using Telnet to contact Pine, means you do need to have a user account at the computer which runs Pine.
This is no native email client running at your Apple.

But I will stop here to explain more... because you are not clear enought (at least to me) what your real objectives are...

running a native Apple II email client ?
or using a Pine client at a remote computer ?

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

You would probably have to set up your own. Nobody really uses telnet anymore since it is a plain text protocol. But, you could set up a local linux server and run telnet on your local network. That's pretty easy.

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

(...)
But I will stop here to explain more... (...)

That's fine!

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

billw - yes, that's a good idea - I will do

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

The server I ran (ipswitch imail ****) also comes with a telnet server.

The reason why or what the heck was it doing there I haven't a clue.

EDIT:

I have found some older versions of ipswitch imail server:

http://ftp.ipswitch.com/ipswitch/product_support/imail/imail20.exe

http://ftp.ipswitch.com/ipswitch/product_support/imail/imail200600.exe

http://www.tucows.com/thankyou.html?swid=385927

EDIT: Maybe this website will help:

http://ask.metafilter.com/224414/Is-there-a-email-service-that-doesnt-require-SSL

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

Thanks for the links!

I tried to use hMailServer when I read this: "I solved this by installing hMailServer locally, which is set to relay through the actual SMTP server. Since it's local, you can set that side to be wide open (no SSL, no authentication) and deliver mail it receives via SSL and authentication to your real mail server. We use this precisely because of simple devices that don't support anything else."

I tried contiki Email with it (put the IP of the machine running hMailServer into "outgoing e-mail" on contiki and set on hMailServer the IP Range for the with Uthernet connected Apple II; disabled all authentication ...) - but so far contiki e-mail says still "Mail error" ...

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

Maybe...

https://www.hmailserver.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=29032

Read then click on "SMTP relay".

Then read that.

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

Thanks!

I forgot to mention that I put that in:

In SETTINGS - PROTOCOLS - SMTP - Delivery of email: pointed to the e-mail smtp server and entered the authentication details...

Maybe the problem is at contiki e-mail client?

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Re: Email client for Apple IIe?

G R E A T !!! It works!!!

Had to set the priority for the IP Range for the Apple II up to 15 - now HMS works perfectly all right with the e-mail client of contiki!

Thanks!

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