Subject: accessing BITNET from Athena, not MITVMA
To: [email-masked]

--------
Hi,

    I'm writing to you because you have a SIPB-sponsored student
account on MITVMA (userid S20###), and SIPB has some new software you
may want to use, instead of logging in to MITVMA.

Almost all the S20### accounts were given for interactive BITNET
communication (e.g., TELL). If you use MITVMA for something different,
please reply (or, if you'd rather, send separate mail to
[email-masked]) saying what you use MITVMA for. If SIPB
doesn't know why you need an MITVMA account, we can't continue
sponsoring your account after the end of this term.

If you do use interactive BITNET communication, we'd like you to
convert over to a new facility for accessing BITNET directly from
Athena. For more info on this, see the OLC stock answers, i.e.,

    athena% olc_answers
    <return>
    14* NETWORKS Answers
    5  INTERACTIVELY Communicating with BITNET Hosts

SIPB plans to drop support for most MITVMA accounts at the end of this
term. If you report problems with this Athena BITNET software that
SIPB still hasn't resolved in May, we'll probably be able to let you
keep your MITVMA account. Also, we'll send out one more mail
message/reminder about this (probably in early May) before getting rid
of any accounts.

If you don't have time to check out the new software this month, it
would help if you could reply saying what BITNET nodes you're
currently relying on, e.g.,

    I need to get to BROWNVM and JHUVMS,         or
    I use TELL to Penn State about once a week

etc. We'll try to look for any problems with reaching those places.

Matt