With cheap monthly access and a graphical interface, America Online (AOL) is growing in popularity. For many users, AOL offers an inexpensive way to handle virtually unlimited e-mail. I say offers because I can't resist reading my mail online, while the meter runs. It's simply more convenient to do it that way, instead of manually downloading each message to a text file.
Then I discovered Whale Express, an easy-to-learn script system that runs small programs to automate AOL tasks, such as caching mail. Now I have my Windows system automatically log on to my AOL account every morning and dump all of my mail into one file. Later I can read the messages at my leisure and not have to worry about them being deleted by the AOL weekly message destroyer.
Other possibilities include automatically checking to see if anyone on your list of buds is online or automatically recording an online conference that you won't be around for – a VCR for cyberspace!
A shareware version of Whale Express is available for free on AOL in the PC Development Forum. The registered version includes added features, updates, and support.
Whale Express: US$29.95. Tartan Software: 143 Hortsman Drive, Scotia, NY 12302.
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