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Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 10:17:14 -0800 (PST)
From: Doug White <dwhite@gdi.uoregon.edu>
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Reply-To: Doug White <dwhite@resnet.uoregon.edu>
To: Michael Alwan <alwan@rma.edu>
cc: questions@FreeBSD.ORG, FreeBsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject: Re: "dial-up networking"
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On Sat, 22 Feb 1997, Michael Alwan wrote:

> To all:
> 
> I've been trying to configure user ppp following the steps in the html
> handbook that I downloaded with 2.1.7. (also consulting man pages). No luck
> so far.
> 
> What I would like to do for starters is use the Netscape Communicator 4.02b
> package to surf, read news, and check e-mail--more advanced stuff like
> setting up a server later. 

The very first thing you should do with Communicator is disable
html-encoding.  Netscape should be shot and hung for making this a
default, and this will save you from constant email harrasment by
less-restrained net.entities (such as Pine users like myself) that can't
parse the encoded mail.

>From the FAQ:

How do I disable the use of the HTML tags in Messenger?

To disable the use of the HTML tags, choose Preferences from the Edit Menu. 
Choose Mail and News Preferences, then click the Composition tab and uncheck 
Use HTML Composition Window.

To be honest, I would recommend not using Communicator as a message to
Netscape Communications to stop playing with established standards.

> I've got Xwindows and Communicator running,
> more or less--just an error message when I try to  set the news host server
> ("news.rma.edu") in Communicator.  What is the best way to  establish a
> connection with my ISP?  Do I, for instance, get user ppp running on an
> xterm and simply start up or switch to the browser?  I don't see a ppp
> xwindow package or port (something akin to MS Windows Dial-up Networking).
> Is there such a thing?  Or, barring a GUI fix, a better command-line
> program?  Not to sound ungrateful, but the documentation for user ppp
> confuses me

There is a commandline program called, surprise, `ppp' that can do this
for you.  I believe the Handbook at http://www.freebsd.org/handbook/
contains details on setup.  

Doug White                              | University of Oregon  
Internet:  dwhite@resnet.uoregon.edu    | Residence Networking Assistant
http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~dwhite    | Computer Science Major