Apr 14, 2001 02:58 AM
3295 Views
The title might be trite, but it isn't inaccurate.
I have been a Hotmail subscriber for around five years. I needed an email address that I could access from my campus computer lab in order to communicate with my professor in the event that she was out of town. I also needed a Hotmail account if I wanted to send graphics to my family from the Mac design stations at Kinko's print shop.
Hotmail is considerably different now than it was when I started using it. Once Hotmail partnered with MSN, the mail package gained a whole new set of other features, too numerous to list here. But here are a few highlights:
MSN Messenger-this is an instant alert that you have new mail in your Hotmail inbox; it is also a means of ''chatting'' online with any of your friends that also have MSN Messenger installed when they log on. Think AOL Buddies Online if you are wondering what I'm talking about.
MSN Passport-this allows you to log on to all of MSN's services with the same username and password that you use to log on to your Hotmail account and folders
Hotmail Address Book-Hotmail allows you to save your email addresses by 'nicknames' so that you don't have to type out their full name (or distribution group name). It also ''remembers'' your friend's addresses once you type them into the address and cc fields. Just type in the first letter or two of their address, and it will show up in a drop-down menu for you to double-click with your mouse. Voila! There is the address you wanted to type, already entered for you. (I don't know how well this feature works with Netscape Navigator, but it works fine with IE5).
Like other freemail accounts, I hate the spam that I end up with. Hotmail has an improved Bulk Mail feature that filters out messages that are obviously porn links or ads, but five to ten slip through to my main folder every day. Bulk Mail ends up in a separate folder from your main messages. There is no Delete command for individual messages in Bulk Mail. You have the option of checking the box beside the message and hitting the button that says ''This is not bulk mail.'' Otherwise, you have to empty the entire folder.
I'm pleased with my Hotmail account thus far, but it's not foolproof. Be prepared for the occasional spammer's mass mailings to an entire list of Hotmail addresses. Also be prepared for an account size that isn't that big. Once I have about 200 messages (particularly list digest), I run out of space. Hotmail won't let you open your mail if you exceed your inbox limit, and the Inbox Janitor will automatically delete any excess of messages after 30 days.
