BlitzMail
Encyclopedia
BlitzMail is an e-mail
system used at Dartmouth College
in Hanover, New Hampshire
, United States. It was one of the earliest e-mail server/client packages. It became instantly popular at the college as a result of its simplicity and power, appealing to even the most inexperienced users. To the dismay of many students of the College, use of BlitzMail will end in 2011, in favor of a Microsoft suite of email/online collaboration programs. The Dartmouth Name Directory will allegedly live on, however, and it is likely that the new e-mail program will still be referred to as Blitz.
The name BlitzMail started as a joke among its programmers, as it had to be developed quickly.
In 1991, when Dartmouth required every student to own a computer, the server code was updated to allow multiple servers to accommodate the heavy demand for the system. In 1993, the server was rewritten to support mail folders, a necessity. In 1994, the client and server software was released for use outside of Dartmouth. Some non-Dartmouth BlitzMail deployments include Valley.Net, an internet service provider
in New England's Upper Valley region and, from 1991 to 2005, Reed College
in Portland, Oregon
.
The first versions of the client ran only on the Apple Macintosh operating system. The client was ported to Windows
around the time of Windows 3.1.
Dartmouth's Computing Services plans to roll out an updated BlitzMail client for Mac OS X
that will feature encrypted client-server communications. (Currently, only Windows users have the ability to use encrypted sessions.) Developed in May 2006 by computer science doctoral candidate Chris Masone (D ‘02), the software should be available in late 2007. Version 2.9 for Mac OS X 10.3 is available since October 2008.
Developers at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
have continued to maintain the Windows client, and an SSL
-enabled client is rumored to be forthcoming. Recent releases of the client have experimental support for rendering (but not composing) HTML
-based messages.
use for local communication, and provides direct and immediate contact between students, professors and administrators. Official announcements are sent via the system, as well as more-informal ones from organizations about upcoming events, parties, and the like. BlitzMail plays a large role in the Dartmouth social scene.
Approximately 100 public terminals are located around campus (in libraries, dining halls, and academic buildings) for BlitzMail use. (In the mid-1990s, Mac Classic public terminals were commonly referred to as "Blitzcheckers".) In 2001, a pinkeye epidemic erupted on campus, spread in large part by the use of keyboards at these public terminals.
The campus is also blanketed in a wireless network, and most students have laptops. The result is that BlitzMail is accessible nearly anywhere.
The word blitz has become a noun (an e-mail) and a verb (to e-mail — "I'll blitz you!") in campus slang
. Most students check blitz on (at least) an hourly basis. Another unique phenomenon is the blitz war--which occurs when a message is sent to a large group of recipients, without using the optional feature to hide the recipients' names, for the purpose of annoying others. Hundreds of responses to the list can be generated in an hour in a heated war.
Until recently (mid-2000s), due to poor cellular reception on campus, many students opted to use BlitzMail rather than cellular phones.http://thedartmouth.com/2006/02/24/news/blitzmail/ However, as service has steadily improved on campus, many students have increased their use of cell phones for both text messaging and voice calls, and BlitzMail's role in social communications has decreased. In 2006, combining the two technologies, students developed a system for checking blitz on a cell phone.http://thedartmouth.com/2006/02/06/news/flurrymail/
implementations exist, as well as web-based clients, such as NetBlitz and WebBlitz. The client has not had major updates since the late 1990s, with the exception of a port to Mac OS X
. The client does not officially support HTML
-based e-mail, dealing only in plaintext. (HTML files are viewed as attachments.)
One of the program's strengths is its portability for users. A user's mailbox, address book, and preferences are all stored on the server. Any user can log into any installation of the client and have full access to their data. After a user logs out, no data or personalization is stored on the local machine. This feature allows the use of the many public terminals.
BlitzMail also acts as a pseudo-instant messaging
client. Messages are processed by the server and delivered to the recipient almost immediately.
The program also has great strength in its integration with the Dartmouth Name Directory, or DND. With this, users simply type the name of the recipient in the To: field (for example, Throckmorton P. Scribblemonger, and the DND determines the full e-mail address of the intended recipient (throckmorton.p.scribblemonger@dartmouth.edu, in this example.) The DND also allows users to create any number of aliases for their blitz address (for example, 'throckie', or 'tps') that require less typing. However, Theresa P. Schultz, should she enter 'tps' as her alias, would prevent Throckie (and herself) from receiving such mail. Only the fully qualified name guarantees delivery. (theresa.p.schultz@dartmouth.edu or throckmorton.p.scribblemonger@dartmouth.edu)
Messages entering and leaving the BlitzMail domain are handled via SMTP
. , patches were available that allowed clients to connect to a BlitzMail server via POP3
and IMAP
(with SSL
.) The client communicates to the server on TCP
ports 2151 and 1119 and the notification service runs on UDP
port 2154.
In 2002, SpamAssassin
functionality was added to BlitzMail. The DND server was also modified to allow LDAP
lookups.
The BlitzMail and DND servers run on DEC Unix
and many Linux
flavors. The OS must support POSIX
threading or Mach kernel-style cthreads. The server will run on systems with very low hardware requirements.
The BlitzMail servers have run on a variety of hardware at Dartmouth. In the early 1990s, the mail and DND servers ran on 25 MHz NeXT
cubes named after Santa Claus' reindeer. At the time, BlitzMail's performance was nearly unparalleled; hundreds of sessions could be handled on each machine. Later, the servers were migrated to DEC 3000 AXP Model 300
s.
library implementation called PyBlitz was released in 2006 by Michael Fromberger. While not a client in and of itself, the package provides bindings that may be used to write one.
The Blitzmail Bulletins feature was designed by Nancy Hossfeld and Randy Spydell.
The Windows version of the BlitzMail client was developed by Doug Hornig.
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
system used at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007....
, United States. It was one of the earliest e-mail server/client packages. It became instantly popular at the college as a result of its simplicity and power, appealing to even the most inexperienced users. To the dismay of many students of the College, use of BlitzMail will end in 2011, in favor of a Microsoft suite of email/online collaboration programs. The Dartmouth Name Directory will allegedly live on, however, and it is likely that the new e-mail program will still be referred to as Blitz.
History
BlitzMail was developed by Dartmouth in 1987 and went live in the summer of 1988. Today's BlitzMail is descended from this codebase.The name BlitzMail started as a joke among its programmers, as it had to be developed quickly.
In 1991, when Dartmouth required every student to own a computer, the server code was updated to allow multiple servers to accommodate the heavy demand for the system. In 1993, the server was rewritten to support mail folders, a necessity. In 1994, the client and server software was released for use outside of Dartmouth. Some non-Dartmouth BlitzMail deployments include Valley.Net, an internet service provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
in New England's Upper Valley region and, from 1991 to 2005, Reed College
Reed College
Reed College is a private, independent, liberal arts college located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus located in Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood, featuring architecture based on the Tudor-Gothic style, and a forested canyon wilderness...
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
The first versions of the client ran only on the Apple Macintosh operating system. The client was ported to Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
around the time of Windows 3.1.
Dartmouth's Computing Services plans to roll out an updated BlitzMail client for Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
that will feature encrypted client-server communications. (Currently, only Windows users have the ability to use encrypted sessions.) Developed in May 2006 by computer science doctoral candidate Chris Masone (D ‘02), the software should be available in late 2007. Version 2.9 for Mac OS X 10.3 is available since October 2008.
Developers at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center is New Hampshire's only academic medical center and is headquartered on a campus in the heart of the Upper Connecticut River Valley, in Lebanon, New Hampshire....
have continued to maintain the Windows client, and an SSL
Transport Layer Security
Transport Layer Security and its predecessor, Secure Sockets Layer , are cryptographic protocols that provide communication security over the Internet...
-enabled client is rumored to be forthcoming. Recent releases of the client have experimental support for rendering (but not composing) HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
-based messages.
BlitzMail on campus
A 'BlitzMail culture' exists on the Dartmouth College campus. The system has all but replaced on-campus landline telephoneTelephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
use for local communication, and provides direct and immediate contact between students, professors and administrators. Official announcements are sent via the system, as well as more-informal ones from organizations about upcoming events, parties, and the like. BlitzMail plays a large role in the Dartmouth social scene.
Approximately 100 public terminals are located around campus (in libraries, dining halls, and academic buildings) for BlitzMail use. (In the mid-1990s, Mac Classic public terminals were commonly referred to as "Blitzcheckers".) In 2001, a pinkeye epidemic erupted on campus, spread in large part by the use of keyboards at these public terminals.
The campus is also blanketed in a wireless network, and most students have laptops. The result is that BlitzMail is accessible nearly anywhere.
The word blitz has become a noun (an e-mail) and a verb (to e-mail — "I'll blitz you!") in campus slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
. Most students check blitz on (at least) an hourly basis. Another unique phenomenon is the blitz war--which occurs when a message is sent to a large group of recipients, without using the optional feature to hide the recipients' names, for the purpose of annoying others. Hundreds of responses to the list can be generated in an hour in a heated war.
Until recently (mid-2000s), due to poor cellular reception on campus, many students opted to use BlitzMail rather than cellular phones.http://thedartmouth.com/2006/02/24/news/blitzmail/ However, as service has steadily improved on campus, many students have increased their use of cell phones for both text messaging and voice calls, and BlitzMail's role in social communications has decreased. In 2006, combining the two technologies, students developed a system for checking blitz on a cell phone.http://thedartmouth.com/2006/02/06/news/flurrymail/
The BlitzMail client
The BlitzMail client is graphical, and runs on Windows and Macintosh computers. Several JavaJava (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
implementations exist, as well as web-based clients, such as NetBlitz and WebBlitz. The client has not had major updates since the late 1990s, with the exception of a port to Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
. The client does not officially support HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
-based e-mail, dealing only in plaintext. (HTML files are viewed as attachments.)
One of the program's strengths is its portability for users. A user's mailbox, address book, and preferences are all stored on the server. Any user can log into any installation of the client and have full access to their data. After a user logs out, no data or personalization is stored on the local machine. This feature allows the use of the many public terminals.
BlitzMail also acts as a pseudo-instant messaging
Instant messaging
Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
client. Messages are processed by the server and delivered to the recipient almost immediately.
The program also has great strength in its integration with the Dartmouth Name Directory, or DND. With this, users simply type the name of the recipient in the To: field (for example, Throckmorton P. Scribblemonger, and the DND determines the full e-mail address of the intended recipient (throckmorton.p.scribblemonger@dartmouth.edu, in this example.) The DND also allows users to create any number of aliases for their blitz address (for example, 'throckie', or 'tps') that require less typing. However, Theresa P. Schultz, should she enter 'tps' as her alias, would prevent Throckie (and herself) from receiving such mail. Only the fully qualified name guarantees delivery. (theresa.p.schultz@dartmouth.edu or throckmorton.p.scribblemonger@dartmouth.edu)
Technical specifications
BlitzMail speaks its own protocol between client and server. Thus, the BlitzMail client is the only one that can utilize the full feature-set of the server.Messages entering and leaving the BlitzMail domain are handled via SMTP
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is an Internet standard for electronic mail transmission across Internet Protocol networks. SMTP was first defined by RFC 821 , and last updated by RFC 5321 which includes the extended SMTP additions, and is the protocol in widespread use today...
. , patches were available that allowed clients to connect to a BlitzMail server via POP3
Post Office Protocol
In computing, the Post Office Protocol is an application-layer Internet standard protocol used by local e-mail clients to retrieve e-mail from a remote server over a TCP/IP connection. POP and IMAP are the two most prevalent Internet standard protocols for e-mail retrieval. Virtually all modern...
and IMAP
Internet Message Access Protocol
Internet message access protocol is one of the two most prevalent Internet standard protocols for e-mail retrieval, the other being the Post Office Protocol...
(with SSL
Transport Layer Security
Transport Layer Security and its predecessor, Secure Sockets Layer , are cryptographic protocols that provide communication security over the Internet...
.) The client communicates to the server on TCP
Transmission Control Protocol
The Transmission Control Protocol is one of the core protocols of the Internet Protocol Suite. TCP is one of the two original components of the suite, complementing the Internet Protocol , and therefore the entire suite is commonly referred to as TCP/IP...
ports 2151 and 1119 and the notification service runs on UDP
User Datagram Protocol
The User Datagram Protocol is one of the core members of the Internet Protocol Suite, the set of network protocols used for the Internet. With UDP, computer applications can send messages, in this case referred to as datagrams, to other hosts on an Internet Protocol network without requiring...
port 2154.
In 2002, SpamAssassin
SpamAssassin
SpamAssassin is a computer program released under the Apache License 2.0 used for e-mail spam filtering based on content-matching rules. It is now part of the Apache Foundation....
functionality was added to BlitzMail. The DND server was also modified to allow LDAP
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol is an application protocol for accessing and maintaining distributed directory information services over an Internet Protocol network...
lookups.
The BlitzMail and DND servers run on DEC Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
and many Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
flavors. The OS must support POSIX
POSIX
POSIX , an acronym for "Portable Operating System Interface", is a family of standards specified by the IEEE for maintaining compatibility between operating systems...
threading or Mach kernel-style cthreads. The server will run on systems with very low hardware requirements.
The BlitzMail servers have run on a variety of hardware at Dartmouth. In the early 1990s, the mail and DND servers ran on 25 MHz NeXT
NeXT
Next, Inc. was an American computer company headquartered in Redwood City, California, that developed and manufactured a series of computer workstations intended for the higher education and business markets...
cubes named after Santa Claus' reindeer. At the time, BlitzMail's performance was nearly unparalleled; hundreds of sessions could be handled on each machine. Later, the servers were migrated to DEC 3000 AXP Model 300
DEC 3000 AXP
DEC 3000 AXP was the name given to a series of computer workstations and servers, produced from 1992 to around 1995 by Digital Equipment Corporation. The DEC 3000 AXP series formed part of the first generation of computer systems based on the 64-bit Alpha AXP architecture...
s.
Python port
A PythonPython (programming language)
Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...
library implementation called PyBlitz was released in 2006 by Michael Fromberger. While not a client in and of itself, the package provides bindings that may be used to write one.
Redistribution
The BlitzMail client and server software are available under an BSD-style (with ad clause) license.Developers
BlitzMail's developers include Rich Brown, David Gelhar, Jim Matthews, Pete Schmitt, Stephen Campbell, Steve Ligett, Paul Merchant, Kevin Schofield, Jim Van Verth, and David Greenfield.The Blitzmail Bulletins feature was designed by Nancy Hossfeld and Randy Spydell.
The Windows version of the BlitzMail client was developed by Doug Hornig.