Juno is an incredible service for those whose only Internet need is email

And it's a good backup for the rest of us

By Jon Kennedy

When my MicroSoft Internet Explorer's built-in mail program started refusing to send mail from my outbox, kept promising to repair itself but never did, rather than reinstall the program (it took several days of back-and-forth negotiations with my Internet service provider to get it to work originally, and reinstalling it would also entail reinstalling my web browser and use group software which are still working fine), I decided to try using the free Juno email program I'd ordered to keep in touch with my adult sons who can't afford email.

As free software, Juno is good; as a free major Internet service, it's incredible; one fears too good to last. In that sense it's like broadcast television and radio stations and networks that bring you free news and entertainment in exchange for bending your ears and eyes for their advertisements. It's also akin to hundreds of community newspapers around the country, too, that sell advertisers the residents of a whole zip code or neighborhood as their readership and give the copies of the paper away rather than try to persuade their subscribers to buy them. And it's like Yahoo, the Gate, Silicon Valley Today, and scores of other online services that depend on advertising to keep making them free to consumers.

The difference with Juno is it incurs thousands of dollars in mailing costs to send software to its subscribers, absolutely free. Unlike Prodigy which I tried for over a year as my first connection with the Internet several generations ago (in computer terms), you don't have to wait for the advertising to run its course until you can do something else. It's much more like magazine advertising down the side of the page or across the top-it's there, you can ignore it if you want to or, as in most online advertising you can click somewhere and get a more detailed pitch and probably the opportunity to order online.

But enough about the service; this is a review of how well the program itself works; its pros and its cons.

Pros

Juno's interface is simple, intuitive, and eye-appealing. I like the fact that you can create a new mail folder simply by pressing M and typing in the new name. You get the argument that "there is no such folder; would you like to create one now?" Simply press Y or return for yes, and it's done. Eudora allows you to click on "new" under folders to create a new one at any time, and MicroSoft Internet Mail is the slowest of the three on this issue, requiring users to go to "file," then to "folder" then to "create" where, after executing, they finally get a new folder dialog box.

A setting in the setup routine enables Juno to save all return addresses in your address book, which can be considered a feature or a nuisance (except that you can turn it off when it's a nuisance).

New messages can be moved to the outbox simply by pressing [control-O]. Juno dials up a local phone number on demand and stays connected only long enough to upload and download outgoing and incoming mail. This is for Juno's own benefit primarily, as connect time costs the company, but it can be considered a feature that you don't have to do anything to end the connection.

Cons

You have to rely on the mouse too much. When you're reading mail, you can just strike the letter "m" and immediately you're in the list of folders you've compiled to save your mail by category. But if the folder selected isn't the one you want, the only way to go from the list header to the list per se is by using the mouse. As one who tries to use the keyboard whenever possible; this is annoying. Even more annoying, there's a list of most frequent functions, like moving and copying, down the side of the message area. And as in most Windows programs, there's usually a key letter underlined. Generally, in Windows, that means you hold down the alt key and that letter–atl-c for copy, for example–and you'll go directly to that function; pressing [return] at that point should execute it.

But in this program, holding down alt-c merely highlights the button on the side of the message window. Even when it's highlighted, pressing return (as you would expect) won't execute the actual function. Again, you have to move the cursor via your mouse or cursor pad to the button, then press a mouse button to go to the actual function. Way too many steps! Pressing M for move, as already mentioned–and it doesn't even require alt–is the only halfway exception I've found to this annoying sequence.

Once you delete a message, it's gone. MicroSoft I-mail has a "deleted messages" folder that saves everything until you turn off your computer; that's prudent. Everyone, surely, accidentally deletes messages they'd rather have saved, and most of us occasionally delete messages we'd rather have at least read before doing so. This is a downright bug, I'd say.

Summary

For value, you can't beat Juno, and it's worth having as a backup by any computer user with a modem. Email is the most popular Internet feature, and this is a valuable free service to any who want that feature alone. It's a godsend to people with kids living away from home, as daily contact can be maintained at no charge beyond the initial investment in equipment.

Juno has recently given up the 800 numbers it was providing, now having local numbers in more than 400 U.S. locations. That's unfortunate, as some will no doubt be outside the free dialing zones now. Still, even a toll call for a two-minute connection once a day is cheap compared with alternatives like CompuServe and Prodigy, both of which I subscribed to for some years only for email, and whose email service at that time was no better than Juno's is now.

Full information on Juno, including ordering the free software, is available at http://www.juno.com. The company still does provide an 800 number for placing software orders: 1-800-654-JUNO.

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