for the
Update Campaign

When my mother gave me her old IBM PC in 1997, I was looking for an E-mail client that I could use to download my mail. I was all but broke at the time, so I was looking for any client that I could get for free. Naturally, I wasn't expecting a very good quality program. I just wanted something that could do the job, even if it was lacking in features.

That's when a friend introduced me to Pegasus Mail. I was blown away. Here was an absolutely free program that was better than most commercial clients, never mind the free ones. This was no watered-down "lite" version. This was a full featured E-mail client that could do everything Eudora, Micorosoft Outlook Express and Netscape could do, and more. I've been a dedicated Pegasus user ever since.

Of course, I didn't like my Windows PC. I've always been a Mac man at heart, and only used Windows PCs because I couldn't afford to buy a new computer, and used Macs are very hard to come by where I live. However, recently I was able to scrape enough money together to get my dream machine: an iMac.

Naturally, I was anxious to try out Pegasus Mail for the Mac. I remembered all the wonderful features that were available on the Windows version, and I was sure that the Mac version would be just as good or better. So, shunning the Micorsoft Outlook Express that came with the machine, I downloaded and installed Pegasus Mail for the Macintosh 2.2.1.

I was deeply disappointed. Pegasus Mail for the Mac was extremely primitive. It lacked many of the basic features of the Windows version; features I'd come to take for granted. I couldn't figure out why until I found out that Mac Pegasus hadn't been updated in almost two years.

I asked around on the Pegasus Mail for Macintosh discussion list. Apparently, Mac users of Pegasus have been calling for an update ever since the release of version 2.2.1, but the update has been road blocked by technical problems.

The purpose of this campaign is to make that update happen.

Most of Pegasus Mail author David Harris' staff and resources have been taken up in updating the Windows version. Mr. Harris does want to update Pegasus Mail for the Mac, but without the most current Macintosh NetWare libraries, he can do nothing. He has asked NetWare for support, but so far they haven't helped him.

Mr. Harris has told us that the POP-3 modules of Pegasus Mail for the Mac 3.0 are already complete, and the only thing holding up the program is the NetWare support.

Pegasus Mail for Windows is, bar none, the finest freeware E-mail client out there... perhaps the finest freeware program period. Pegasus Mail has been a priceless resource for many organizations and individuals who might otherwise be unable to afford to purchase a full-featured commercial E-mail client: students, schools, colleges, unverisities and others for whom money is tight have benefitied from Pegasus Mail, including myself.

However, Macintosh users cannot share in these benefits. As it stands, Pegasus Mail is hopelessly out of date. Pegasus Mail is in desperate need of an update to bring it to parity with the Windows version.

This campaign has two main goals:

1. To show support for and encourage the update of Pegasus Mail for the Macintosh.
2. To find knowledgeable Macintosh programmers who would be willing to volunteer their time in solving Pegasus Mail for the Macintosh's technical problems.

If you are a Macintosh user interested in supporting this campaign, you can show your support by doing one of the following:

• E-mail me and I'll put your name on a support list. I'm working on another approach to encouraging an update by contacting NetWare and asking them to help David Harris with the NetWare modules of Pegasus. As soon as I have that contact information, I'll contact everyone on the list and let them know.
• If you are an experienced Macintosh programmer who is willing to volunteer some time, contact Pegasus Mail Support and offer to help them with the update. It would be particularly helpful if you are familiar with NetWare for the Macintosh.
• Spread the word about this campaign to every Mac user you think would be interested, including any Mac-related newsgroups and discussion lists you are on (if it hasn't been mentioned on them already).

In the current issue of Mac Nut magazine, there is a review of Pegasus Mail for the Macintosh by Frederick W. Silliman, including information on this campaign. The review is currently available in PDF format, and an HTML version is expected to appear on the Mac Nut web site soon. This will help get the word out about this effort. However, the more publicity we can get for this, the greater our chances of success.

If you have a web page, you can also help spread the word by putting a link to this page on your own website. Just paste the following HTML into your page:

<CENTER><A HREF="https://www.angelfire.com/ar/Ardelli/Pegasus.html"><IMG
SRC="https://www.angelfire.com/ar/Ardelli/images/PegasusCampaignLogo.jpg"
WIDTH="300" HEIGHT="127" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" NATURALSIZEFLAG="3"
ALT="Pegasus Mail For the Macintosh Update Campaign"></A></CENTER>

This logo will appear on your page, complete with link:

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to E-mail me.

Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.
-Andrew Jackson