Free web-based email now available: Get yourname@progresstalk.com Today!

[Chris Kelleher]

I just implemented a new web-based email system that everyone here can use. It's very full-featured, having all the features of a hotmail.com email account, plus much, much more.... and all on the ProgressTalk.com domain name, so you'll be more likely to get a very easy to use and remember email address.

Here are just some of the features that are available:

• Complete customization using a templates system.
• Create multiple skins for the program and allow users to choose between them.
• Powerful WYSIWYG editor. (IE only)
• Unlimited users and messages.
• Ability to create or remove custom message folders.
• Fully supports the MIME email format and HTML messages.
• Ability to send attachments with outgoing messages.
• Integrated address book with unlimited contacts.
• Save outgoing messages and send them later.
• Powerful message rules and spam filtering system.
• Advanced user interface, including context menus and intuitive message selection. (IE only)
• Sort messages based on several terms, including date, subject, sender, importance and more.
• Strong security measures to assure your users privacy.
• Special log-in persistence that allows you to resume actions after being logged out.
• Users can add external POP3 accounts and receive messages from them directly to HiveMail.
• Control which columns show up when viewing the message list.
• Search messages using a powerful search engine.
• Optional sound when new mail arrives.
• Personal signatures.
• Flag messages.
• And more!

To create a new @progresstalk.com account, just visit http://mail.progresstalk.com/ and setup an account. Remember, most usernames are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so make sure you signup today to make sure you get your prefered name.

This is new software that is currently being tested by a handful of sites, including ProgressTalk.com, so if you run into any problems, please feel free to report them here so we can look into them. Also any feedback, both positive or negative, would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy this new feature!

 

[MurrayH]

Hmm, slight problem here on sign up:

Database error in HiveMail:

Invalid query:
INSERT INTO user
(userid, username, password, usergroupid, skinid, realname, regdate, lastvisit, cols, birthday, question, answer, country, state, zip, options, replyto, font)
VALUES
(NULL, ...


Why NULL on user id?

Muz

 

[Chris Kelleher]

Originally posted by MurrayH
Hmm, slight problem here on sign up:

Thanks for pointing that out! Since I was already registered I never thought to test that part out.... so if anyone tried to signup and couldn't, the problem is now fixed

Why NULL on user id?

Actually that part was correct.... we're running most things here on different MySQL databases, and if you set a field-value to NULL for an auto-incremented field, it will assign the next sequence value to it. Looks like some of the hidden settings that get stored with that query weren't being properly escaped.

 

[MurrayH]

Just another final one - after getting the account and setting GMT+10 (ie its now 7:30am here in Brisbane), the ProgressTalk mail program tells me my GMT info is wrong. Um, not its right so there must be a config setting wrong somewhere. Not sure where though.

Murray

 

[MurrayH]

Got it !! Its NOT saving the GMT info - when I go into preferences it says GMT - not GMT+10

Muz

 

[Chris Kelleher]

Originally posted by MurrayH
Got it !! Its NOT saving the GMT info - when I go into preferences it says GMT - not GMT+10

Glad you got in!

Are you in GMT right now? The mail application should be trying to figure out what timezone you are in automatically, based on your PC's clock and the server time. Is the clock on your PC correct for GMT? If so, it looks like this check might be off a bit, and I'm not sure if it will save your setting automatically or if it will always try to recalculate it. I'll bring this up with the developer to let him know it might be a problem.

Thanks

 

[Crittar]

Chris,

A minor point:

The input form prompts for a question and secret answer in case you forget your password, the answer is prompted for twice which usually only happens if the input is 'hidden' but the answer appears in visible text - either it needs to be hidden or the second prompt removed (IMHO).

 

[Crittar]

Chris,

Another minor point, I just tried to change the skins - The only option it gives is 'original' and I can't see anywhere where you could define a new set.

I know this doen't make any difference to the functionality but I thought I'd check out all the features.

 

[Crittar]

Chris,

A final point (less minor):

One of the options given is to specify an e-mail account to forward messages to. I have put an account name in there but messages don't get forwarded.

 

[Chen]

Originally posted by Crittar
The input form prompts for a question and secret answer in case you forget your password, the answer is prompted for twice which usually only happens if the input is 'hidden' but the answer appears in visible text - either it needs to be hidden or the second prompt removed (IMHO).

You're right, I changed the fields to password-like.

 

[Chen]

Originally posted by Crittar
Another minor point, I just tried to change the skins - The only option it gives is 'original' and I can't see anywhere where you could define a new set.

The skins for the program must be created by the admin before users can use them, you can't create your own personal skins. Perhaps a future version will include this ability.

 

[Chen]

Originally posted by Crittar
One of the options given is to specify an e-mail account to forward messages to. I have put an account name in there but messages don't get forwarded.

It seems to be working (the email is forwarded) but it's using a wrong MIME format... I'll look into it.

 

[Chen]

I've fixed the forwarding problem, it should work fine now.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Chris Kelleher]

Originally posted by Crittar
Another minor point, I just tried to change the skins - The only option it gives is 'original' and I can't see anywhere where you could define a new set.

Thanks Chris.... right now we just have the default skin available, but I will be creating a few different looks over the next couple of weeks... I'll probably have one to match the colors and layout we use here.

 

[Chris Kelleher]

Thanks for all your help Chen!

Chen is the PHP developer that wrote the HiveMail web-based email system, which I think he did a wonderful job with

 

[Chris Kelleher]

Murray, if you are still having problems with your timezone settings, Chen might be able to take a look at that issue if you can explain to him what is happening

 

[Crittar]

Sorry to be a pain but I've spotted another minor problem:

If you are actually on the inbox screen and another e-mail arrives the screen doesn't refresh, you have to move to another folder before you get any indication that more e-mail is present.

Also, I'm still not getting messages forwarded to the 'forward to' address I've specified.

Generally speaking though the software seems great and the teething problems seem minor.

Keep up the good work!!

 

[Chris Kelleher]

Originally posted by Crittar
If you are actually on the inbox screen and another e-mail arrives the screen doesn't refresh, you have to move to another folder before you get any indication that more e-mail is present.

There is an option you can set, which defaults to 0, to refresh the folder view so you wouldn't have to refresh the screen manually. Since you don't have a persistent connection to the web server, you really can't do this in "real time" though. It's in "Preferences", "Folder View Options", set "Page refresh rate (in seconds)".

 

[Crittar]

Chris,

Many thanks for that, I have updated that parameter and the refresh is working fine for me now.

 

[Crittar]

Correction To Earlier Post

In an earlier post I said that forwarding was still not working - it is inasmuch as the emails are getting as far as the company 'postmaster' rather than directly to my e-mail. It seems that this is probably a problem at this end in that any e-mail arriving as a BCC is not sent to recipient but to postmaster. I guess that the forwarding routine sends the e-mail as a BCC?