Until now, if you wanted to use the Internet and weren't already at a university or company that supplied you with Internet access, you had to purchase a complicated package of services from an Internet access provider or an online service. This could be costly--the leading access provider, America Online, typically charges more than $260 per year--and you had to buy the full package of services whether you wanted to use them all or only some of them.

Juno changes all that. If you just want to use electronic mail, you can choose Juno's completely free Internet e-mail service. It's one of the few free e-mail services available that do not require you to have Internet access, and therefore one of the few that are genuinely free. You pay Juno no monthly fees, no hourly fees, no start-up or membership fees--no fees of any sort.

Since Juno's service launched on April 22, 1996, more than 6.5 million people have subscribed. If you want to try Juno for yourself, all you need is a PC running Microsoft Windows, a modem, and a copy of the Juno software, which you can install from this issue.

Electronic mail is to this century what the telephone was to the last: a new communication tool that has suddenly become an indispensable part of millions of people's lives. Some 100 million computer users worldwide are currently estimated to exchange well over a billion e-mail messages each month, and these numbers are growing as explosively as the Internet itself.

Juno's free Internet e-mail service makes using e-mail simple. For the millions of people for whom e-mail is the main, or even the only, reason to go online, Juno offers exactly what they want--an e-mail address on the Internet, accessible through an attractive, easy-to-use graphical interface--without the monthly bills they don't want.

All you need is access to a personal computer and a modem, as well as a copy of the free Juno software, available on this issue. You do not need to have Internet access to use Juno, as you do to use Hotmail, Rocketmail, or any of the other Web-based e-mail services. You don't have to pay Juno anything: no fees or charges of any sort. And thanks to Juno's network of more than 1,000 local access numbers, around 95 percent of the United States population can reach Juno Online Services without even having to pay long distance charges for the call.

Instead of charging its members for use of its basic service, Juno is designed to derive its revenues primarily from selectively targeted advertising and the sale of goods and services offered on a strictly optional basis. Juno charges no monthly fees, hourly fees, membership fees, or fees of any other sort for use of its basic e-mail service. You don't need to have Internet access to use Juno's basic service (as you do to use Web-based e-mail services such as Hotmail) and you don't have to buy anything from Juno.

It's a little like network television. You don't have to pay CBS to watch the nightly news, or NBC to watch "ER." Juno's sponsors pay, so you don't have to. Advertisers pay Juno to have their ads displayed to Juno members. Most of the ads are interactive "banner" ads, which are displayed in a corner of the screen while you read and write your e-mail. Juno's goal is to make sure the ads on Juno are interesting and valuable to their members.

Juno is also designed to be exceptionally easy to use, so that even first-time computer users will be able to start sending e-mail within minutes of creating their free Juno account. To meet its users' needs as their experience grows, Juno offers a wide range of advanced features, as well as a number of optional premium services, such as Juno Gold (for members who wish to send and receive file attachments with their e-mail) and Juno Web (for members who want full Internet access). Juno Gold and Juno Web are detailed in the Optional Billable Services section below.

Juno Features

In addition to basic features such as tools for replying to messages you receive, forwarding messages you receive to someone else, and printing out copies of messages, Juno features:

• a spell-check function
• an address book that can automatically store the addresses of everyone who sends you e-mail
• customizable mailing lists and folders for storing your e-mail
• an e-mail address you can choose (so you can be "big-john@juno.com" rather than something like "12345.678@compuserve.com")
• the ability to personalize the Juno screen to display your mail in the font and colors you prefer

Juno Requirements

• a PC-compatible computer (486, Pentium, or higher)
• Microsoft Windows 95/98 or Windows NT 4.0
• a 9600-baud modem (14,400bps recommended) or a network connection to the Internet
• 8MB of RAM (12-16MB recommended).
• 20-25MB of free hard disk space
• a mouse
• an SVGA monitor

Optional Billable Services

In 1998, Juno began offering optional premium services to its members: Juno Gold, an enhanced e-mail service that allows users to send and receive non-text file attachments with their e-mail, and Juno Web, a full Internet access service. Both services were designed to make other Internet activities as easy as Juno's basic e-mail service. For the tens of millions of people who don't have an e-mail address yet (but who are expected to start using e-mail and other online services by the turn of the century), Juno's services are intended to serve as a painless, gradual migration path onto the Internet.

What is Juno Gold?

Juno Gold is an enhanced e-mail service offering certain features that Juno Online Services are not able to provide for free. For instance, Juno Gold allows you to send and receive file attachments such as pictures, word processor documents, spreadsheets, sound clips, and computer programs along with your e-mail.

What is Juno Web?

Juno Web is an optional premium service that offers full Internet access, as well as the ability to send and receive file attachments (such as pictures or word processor documents) with your e-mail. You can use Juno Web to explore any of the millions of Web sites, including news, weather, entertainment, finance, sports, shopping, and children's sites.

Juno Web features include:

• compatibility with both of the most popular browsers on the Web: Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator
• access at speeds up to 56Kbps through more than 1,000 local telephone numbers around the country
• search, directory, and reference tools conveniently organized on Juno Web's home page
• online technical support library

How can I sign up for Juno Gold or Juno Web?

First, install the Juno software on your computer. Use the software to create a free Juno account. Once your free account has been activated, you will be offered the option of signing up for Juno Gold or Juno Web.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can I send e-mail to? Just other Juno members?

No. You can use Juno to send e-mail to anyone in the world who has an Internet e-mail address. This includes everyone on all the major online services, such as America Online, CompuServe, and the Microsoft Network; everyone who buys Internet access from a service provider such as AT&T WorldNet or Earthlink; everyone who has an Internet e-mail address through work or school; and, of course, everyone who is a member of Juno.

Do I need to have Internet access to use Juno e-mail?

No. Unlike Web-based e-mail services such as Hotmail, Juno does not require that you have Internet access. All you have to do is install their software and then dial directly into their central computers with your modem.

Of course, if you would like to have Internet access, Juno can provide you with that as well--read about Juno Web in the Billable Services section above.

Where can I use Juno from?

You can use Juno from anywhere in the United States or Puerto Rico. Today, there is no international version of Juno for use by people outside these areas.

Note that when you use Juno from within the United States, you can exchange e-mail with people located anywhere in the world.

Can I use Juno e-mail through my existing Internet connection?

Yes. If you are using version 2.0 of Juno, you can get or send e-mail while connected to the Internet, whether you are connected through Juno, through another Internet access provider, or through a permanent Internet connection such as an office or university Local Area Network (LAN).

Can I use Juno over ISDN?

Today, Juno does not provide, or operate over, ISDN connections. However, ordinary telephone modems are adequate for using Juno, especially for e-mail, since when you use e-mail you only need to connect to Juno's central computers for the relatively brief period of time it takes to download or upload your mail (along with any advertisements we want to show you).

If you have an ISDN line and wish to use Juno, you can do so by hooking up a standard analog modem to an analog port provided by your ISDN equipment.