You've got mail again.
After an early launch two weeks ago, http://mail.msu.edu, MSU's new e-mail system, is ready to roll.
The system officially debuted at 8 a.m. today. While the site was being tested at the MSU Computer Center, about 25 people upgraded to the new system.
Scott Thomas, division manager of computing services at the center, said for the past two weeks employees had been "double checking and triple checking" to ensure it operates correctly.
Users who upgrade to the new system will retain the same university e-mail address, but will no longer be able to use Pilot's TWIG or Telnet systems.
Thomas said there is no definite date, but the 10-year-old Pilot will be phased out by the end of the year.
Thomas added Telnet is dangerous for e-mail users.
"Someone could just grab your ID and password," he said. "It's an unsecure transmission.
"It's low-tech quality, and it's not really used anymore. That's what was out there 10 years ago when Pilot was created."
Thomas said users considering an upgrade should also make sure mail clients such as Microsoft Outlook are compatible with their systems.
"Some of the old clients that are out there don't use SSL," he said.
SSL refers to a type of encrypted e-mail transmission.
Thomas said many mail clients have been tested and approved. A list is available at http://help.msu.edu/mail.
Users who upgrade will retain all mail stored in their Pilot system. There will be no conflict between mail sent between Pilot users and mail.msu.edu users, Thomas said.
Premedical sophomore Don Jeon forwards all his mail to his Yahoo! account because he said he encountered several problems with the Pilot system.
He said using the TWIG connection was slow and cumbersome, and he often received undesirable mail.
"I got so many junk mails. After I forwarded, I got no junk mail," Jeon said.
Although he is happy with Yahoo!, Jeon said he will consider switching to the new system.
"I hope the new one's better," he said.
For information, visit http://mail.msu.edu or call (517)432-6200.
