# Free pine style email? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 26, 2000, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pine-style-email/20617 "2000-05-26T17:06:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Suspicious\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Suspicious\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suspicious_mind)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2000, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pine-style-email/20617/1 "2000-05-26T17:06:55Z")
When I was at univesity, I did all my email through the college server using Pine. No matter where I was I could always telnet to the server and pick up my mail. Now I use a popular web based email service, which is fine, but can be a bit tedious if I’m using a computer with a slow web connection. Are there any free email services that can be accessed with telnet? Failing that, are there any web based text only services? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2000, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pine-style-email/20617/2 "2000-05-26T17:43:27Z")
I used to telnet to several different library catalogs because it was a lot faster than using the web-based catalogs. Over the last 6-12 months I have noticed that the web-based library catalogs are now generally faster. [This site](http://www.ii.com/internet/messaging/pine/pc/#what) has information about Pine. ---
**Author:** ![Geenius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Geenius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geenius)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2000, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pine-style-email/20617/3 "2000-05-26T18:52:44Z")
Web-based, text-only? You’re joking, right? Every trend on the Web points toward giving up on literacy entirely and communicating by means of colorful spinning objects. Sign up with a local ISP that charges $20 a month or less and ask for a Unix shell account that you can telnet to. Use Pine in the shell. That’s my advice. If nothing else, it will afford you pretty much total insulation from PC viruses. I laugh at Melissa. I spurn ILOVEYOU. ---
**Author:** ![xekul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/838e76/32.png) [@xekul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xekul)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2000, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pine-style-email/20617/4 "2000-05-26T20:24:16Z")
There’s actually a version of Pine for Windows called PC Pine (or Pine PC, I don’t remember). I don’t know how good it is, but try searching for that. It’s free in the sense that you can download it legally, but I think it has some weird restrictions that won’t affect most users. There’s nothing wrong with text-only web access, though, Geenius. I use Lynx all the time, especially for sites like SMDB that only contain textual content anyway. The navigation and loading is much faster, and it rarely crashes or leaks memory. ---
**Author:** ![Geenius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Geenius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geenius)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2000, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pine-style-email/20617/5 "2000-05-27T00:44:04Z")
And it allows you to use a whopping 7 percent (and falling) of all Web sites! Not a problem with Lynx – a problem with Web design. ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2000, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pine-style-email/20617/6 "2000-05-27T10:14:26Z")
I really miss not having a Unix shell account. Nothing like fast, efficient, and intuitive commands. Sure, graphics and a well developed user interface (these are very rare) go a long way, but I’m sick of waiting 8 seconds for my mailer to load and it taking up plenty of ram and diskspace because of its bloat features I never use. How about I propose HorseloverFat’s law: The faster computers get the slower new software runs. Then again its mostly my fault, I should get a second computer to run Linux on. As to the OP, do a google search for “free unix shell” and you’ll find a couple. Most want some form of ID sent in or a small “donation” and have a decent amount of lag or you could goto a Linux newsgroup and ask someone there if they’re willing to give you a mailbox, if you’re nice mayne you’ll get one. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2000, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pine-style-email/20617/7 "2000-05-27T22:17:22Z")
> [@](#): > > I really miss not having a Unix shell account. You miss not having it? So you do have one now and you regret it? Or do you mean “I really miss having…” ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2000, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pine-style-email/20617/8 "2000-05-28T13:45:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > I really miss not having a Unix shell account. > > You miss not having it? So you do have one now and you regret it? > > Or do you mean “I really miss having…” > \*\* Try reading the rest of the post, the context should speak for itself. Nice that you have nothing to add but to point out a typo.