Returning students logged on to the Trumpeter e-mail system this week to find changes in the physical appearance and functionality of the site. Tufts Computing and Communications Service (TCCS) upgraded the Tufts webmail client last Wednesday to include capabilities such as address books and sent-mail folders.
TCCS made the decision to upgrade the software, which allows e-mail to be accessed via the Internet, after consulting with student and faculty representatives from all of the Tufts schools. The lack of personal address books and sent-mail folders were the two primary complaints of system users, Acting Director of Information Technology Support Services Kathleen Cummings said.
Other added features include monthly maintenance options, the ability to attach a signature to an e-mail, a search feature, and a help link customized for the Tufts community. One of the greatest advantages of the change lies in the increased flexibility of the new webmail client, Cummings said, which will allow further changes to be implemented as necessary with little disturbance to users.
But students have expressed frustration that the upgraded Internet Messaging Program (IMP) is significantly slower than its predecessor. "It's more organized and attractive, but it's really slow," sophomore Shara Marrero said.
Sophomore Tim Wagner also found the slower system inconvenient. "All the waiting is pretty frustrating, especially since I didn't see any problems with the old system," he said. "I definitely don't see that this is an improvement."
Despite these complaints, TCCS' University Systems Group (USG), which designed the new software, said that it had not received reports of performance problems. The series of technologies upon which the new web implementation is built were tested extensively, Cummings said.
But these technologies are new to TCCS, and "there's always a difference between a dozen testers and thousands of students using a system for real," Cummings said.
To help familiarize users with the upgraded system, TCCS created a 55 page training manual available for download on the department's website. The manual provides instructions for users with basic questions, such as how to reclaim missing folders. Training courses will also be offered on all Tufts campuses.
Some students, such as junior Matt Gasbarro, expressed indifference about the change. "I haven't really explored it or anything, I just usually check my mail and run," Gasbarro said. Other students seemed to be more preoccupied with the "arbitrary" switch from the term "expunge" to "purge deleted."
Another change involved upgrading the system so that messages are stored on a mail server permanently instead of being downloaded by a client such as Outlook Express or Netscape. "It permits a "client" e-mail program to access remote message stores as if they were local," Cummings said.
The Tufts mail server is housed in the Tufts Administration Building (TAB) on Holland Ave. and is named Coral. Coral can be accessed by a variety of methods, although the web mail client offers the most flexibility because users can check their e-mail from any Internet accessible computer.
