Thanks Fred,
Now I know you are exaggerating. But, thanks.
Its a pity that QST is not available here anymore, would have been
interesting to see. Perhaps I can translate the text in the overview and
submit that to the Swedish ham radio magazine (named QTC).
73 de Per, sm0rwo
tor 2007-04-19 klockan 10:02 -0500 skrev Fred Reiselt:
> Per,
>
> What you have written looks like an excellent overview of PSKmail.
>
> I think your non-native english is better than my native english:>)
>
> 73,
> Fred
> wb5con
>
> PS - Looks like PSKmail got mentioned again in the May QST. That's 3
> times in QST this year!
>
> Per Crusefalk wrote:
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I have been playing with the idea of trying to write another angle on a
> > quick introdution to pskmail. I started out trying to put my finger on
> > what I liked about the system and I tried to match the vocabulary and
> > feel used to sell major commercial systems. Someone said the number one
> > reason that perfectly good open source solutions fail, even though they
> > may be technical wonders, is that they spend too much time coding and
> > very little on spreading the word and documenting. As I'm not a native
> > english speaker I would apprciate it if someone could help me correct
> > errors in this little attempt. As always I appreciate any input on this.
> >
> > 73 de Per, sm0rwo
> >
> >
> > -------------------------------
> >
> > What is PSKmail
> >
> > PSKmail is a system that allows infrastructure independent access to
> > internet services such as email and web.
> > A sailboat on an ocean can read and send email, fetch weather reports,
> > send direct messages and update the ships position through the APRS
> > system. Friends and family can stay in touch and can also follow the
> > ships movements seconds after position updates are sent from the ship.
> > PSKmail can provide access to internet services in rural and otherwise
> > isolated areas. Perhaps you'd like internet access on the North pole?
> > No problem, pskmail provides that. Wait, did I mention its free and open
> > source?
> >
> > Infrastructure independent ?
> >
> > PSkmail clients access servers using hf. A mobile station can be battery
> > operated, solar powered, and can be located somewhere off the beaten
> > track (in a jungle or on the high seas for example).
> > Naturally the servers need to be connected to the internet to fetch
> > internet email. But, the servers can even be used without internet
> > connection (where that is not allowed or for special purposes such as
> > emergency systems). The servers are independent and do not fail if a
> > central system should be unreachable. Should one server be off the air
> > then feel free to use another.
> >
> > E-mail
> >
> > E-mail is an essential communications medium. PSKmail allows mobile
> > clients access to their e-mail whenever and wherever necessary. With
> > PSKmail you access your email providers pop server, meaning that your
> > normal email account can be used. Support is also in place for popular
> > services like gmail.
> > The pskmail client application features a settings dialogue where your
> > service providers email settings can be entered, these settings can be
> > sent on the air during a connection with a pskmail server.
> > The system will store your settings in a centralized database and use
> > that if available.
> >
> > Surfing the web
> >
> > PSKmail provides text based web surfing. Clients can access their
> > favourite web sites and, in order to save bandwidth, pskmail delivers
> > these in text form (with images removed). This is a very useful feature.
> > The sailor can, for instance, access weather reports, navigational
> > warnings etc. Newssites can be browsed and I can fetch the match report
> > from my hockey teams latest game.
> >
> > APRS
> >
> > The Automatic Position Reporting System was designed to support rapid,
> > reliable exchange of information for local, tactical real-time
> > information, events or nets. PSKmail is able to send position reports
> > and exchange station to station aprs messages. One nice way to use this
> > is for instance to send the current position every ten minutes from a
> > mobile station. Friends and family can follow the stations movements on
> > a graphical display (see the wiki for more on this).
> >
> > Emergency support
> >
> > PSKmail is an outstanding tool in emergency situations. The server
> > network is loosely tied together and that means that if a server, or
> > even large parts of the network, should be out of service then the
> > remaining servers carry on business as usual. Of course one weak link is
> > your email provider, should that server be out of service
> > then fetching mail from it will be difficult. But, you may have another
> > account? Just point the server in that direction then and carry on.
> > What if the entire internet shuld go down then?
> > Well, all servers have local mailboxes that can be used to store and
> > forward your messages to other pskmail clients.
> >
> > So, how can I try this then?
> >
> > There is a live cd available for download. A live distro is a Linux
> > distribution that is executed upon boot. Execution is done entirely from
> > the boot media (cd) and the harddrive is not affected (and not even
> > needed). A live cd is a great way to try out new things and get started
> > quickly. You download the iso, burn it and boot your pc from the cd
> > (just restart and have the cd in the reader).
> >
> >
> > Getting started
> >
> > The pskmail wiki is a huge source of information, available here:
> > http://pskmail.wikispaces.com
> >
> > Welcome!
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
--
Pär Crusefalk
Turnévägen 5
14243 Skogås
Tel: +4687717482
Mob: +46768800670
