Novell transferring MyRealBox.com service to Messaging Architects

King Of Email · 21 Feb 2007, 04:37 PM

MyRealBox, a long time free Novell Networks free 10MB spam, virus, and ad free email service is closing for good. Active account holders have the option of allowing their accounts to expire and be deleted or request their mail service be transferred to one of MRB's corporate partners; Messaging Architects sometime before March 25, 2007.

The transfer promises larger email storage along with the other features MyRealBox had. However, the transfer must be requested by a simple and short online form, but the exact process of how "new" accounts will be recreated is still unclear. From what they say, it appears additional info will be sent to your existing MyRealBox account, at least until the March 25th cut off date.

When it debuted, MyRealBox's 10MB free storage was considered generous. Since then their 10MB allowance has been totally eclipsed by other free email applications. However, it has retained something the others have never been able to achieve; an almost perfect, 100% spam free service. In fact, to date, MyRealBox is the only free email service I have ever had, that never allowed a single spam email into my inbox. It is also the one and only free email service that never placed any ads whatsoever in the inbox, or permitted viruses to get through.

That is the most important reason, despite outages during test periods, that I have kept this little demo account for almost 10 years. I hope the successors to this legacy can maintain its quality service at least in terms of a spam and ad free interface.

**Sherry** · 21 Feb 2007, 05:01 PM

Thanks for the update on that King Of Email. Sure glad we have time to change the address of those using it.

Sherry

kaptitsky · 21 Feb 2007, 08:27 PM

Technically, MyRealBox isn't going out of business, it's being transferred to another owner. Your address continues. The subject header is less than corrrect.

However, DigitalMe.com, which has been hosted on MyRealBox is going out of business, and any accounts on that domain will end on the March 25 date.

jdtaylor · 21 Feb 2007, 10:10 PM

Most interesting, I will wait and see what happens to my account, as it's a good source for collecting spam to improve my spam filter and pass onto other providers to help them.

gunnarj · 22 Feb 2007, 12:44 AM

It's interesting how our mileage differs re different accounts and the spam we get or don't. My 'MyRealBox' account is a 'spam magnet' (lots and lots of spam, with no filter to fiddle with), though I keep the account as it is one of my longest standing free ones with IMAP and forwarding, and therefore has an emotional attachment of sorts.

Also, spam notwithstanding the account has been mostly stable, with periodic down times, not for a long while now though, and I've used it to receive a couple of newsletters and notices etc. for years now with no difficulties.

It'll be interesting to see how the transfer to the new service will proceed, and what the details will be. Looking forward to it; I am hoping the change will be positive or at least interesting and a continuation of this particular branch of my collection of free email services. Lots of fun to me!

gj

King Of Email · 22 Feb 2007, 02:53 AM

kapitsky, whether or not the email extension will still be in the form of: user@myrealbox.com, isn't a given. I'll wait and see. If it becomes something like: user@messagingarchitects.com, I will likely abandon it. I just had another old account migrate and the extension changed drastically to where the old one didn't work and the new one wasn't one I wanted to keep.

Also I used to have an account at a place called F15.com, a nice easy memorable email address that up and changed to humanfarm.com. I understandably dumped that one.

gunnarj, it is also my hope that MyRealBox's new incarnation will embody new and advanced features yet retain an ad free interface.

Ironically, whereas your MyRealBox account is a spam magnet and mine hasn't been, my Inbox.com account (never given out) is the exact opposite. I guess it depends on when you registered and how many times you logged in,and of course how many times you gave out the address.

xmailer · 22 Feb 2007, 03:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by King Of Email
kapitsky, whether or not the email extension will still be in the form of: user@myrealbox.com, isn't a given. I'll wait and see. If it becomes something like: user@messagingarchitects.com, I will likely abandon it. I just had another old account migrate and the extension changed drastically to where the old one didn't work and the new one wasn't one I wanted to keep.

While of course nothing may be a "given" in such a situation, as nothing in the future is certain, when I filled in the form requesting that my accounts be transferred, or "carried over", or whatever, they claimed that my MRB address would continue receiving mail, etc. after the changeover. Will see, I guess.

I haven't really used either account for anything for a few years now, but since, somewhat surprisingly, they've not yet been deleted for non-use, I might as well hang on to them and see what happens.

Adrian Bell · 22 Feb 2007, 04:34 AM

I just completed the transfer form (2 fields, username & password) and this is what it says:-

Quote:

Request Confirmed!

Your account will NOT be removed when the MyRealBox system is transferred to Messaging Architects.

You will be able to continue using the system without having to change bookmarks or mail client configuration.

xmailer · 22 Feb 2007, 04:55 AM

It looks like my recollection wasn't very precise and I hadn't bothered keeping the page open. But not having to change mail client configuration at least seems to strongly imply that the @myrealbox.com addresses will remain intact.

rmns2bseen · 22 Feb 2007, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by gunnarj
It's interesting how our mileage differs re different accounts and the spam we get or don't. My 'MyRealBox' account is a 'spam magnet' (lots and lots of spam, with no filter to fiddle with), though I keep the account as it is one of my longest standing free ones with IMAP and forwarding, and therefore has an emotional attachment of sorts.
...

Same here. For a long time, anti-spam (and anti-virus) seemed to be non-existent on MRB.

kaptitsky · 22 Feb 2007, 07:38 AM

It appears to me that Messaging Architects http://messagingarchitects.com/ is taking over the entire Novell Groupwise suite, of which MRB is a demo project.

The idea that Novell has committed the product to someone who is committed to develop it seems to harkens well for the GroupWise suite, as well as for its demo, MyRealBox.

I like to give developers the benefit of the doubt, knowing they aren't just operators, but people committed to building a good service, for their own long term health.

But yes, I know that lots of people like to talk about where others screwed up, now or in the past, grumble on about desgin choices, and expect the worst. Their call, I say.

And that makes 1000.

msulloway · 22 Feb 2007, 08:14 AM

It was clear after long time problems last year at MRB & changes at other Novell sites, that MRB's service would be cut at some point. A pity.

rmns2bseen · 22 Feb 2007, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by kaptitsky
It appears to me that Messaging Architects http://messagingarchitects.com/ is taking over the entire Novell Groupwise suite, of which MRB is a demo project.

The idea that Novell has committed the product to someone who is committed to develop it seems to harkens well for the GroupWise suite, as well as for its demo, MyRealBox.

In spite of my avowed intent in another MRB thread from long ago to let my account die, *sigh* I've actually been keeping it alive (mostly for, as gunnarj points out, sentimental reasons...stupid, maybe, but there it is-- the same reason I keep open a Hotmail account opened in 1998 that I have barely used since). And so I'm glad to hear that the service will continue in at least some form, and hope it can be improved.

King Of Email · 22 Feb 2007, 06:24 PM

It's just that MyRealBox's situation brings up visions of what happened with another old, long time favorite I used and enjoyed for many years; Mailandnews.com and how promises were made but not kept. The thing is that it is very, very rare nowadays that you can have a free email account with absolutely no ads, banners, pop-ups, or reams of spam to pay for the ad free interface that I would regret losing one of the last holdovers from the "good old days".

Most of the time I don't mind a few ads or even a tiny amount of commerical email to fund a free service. However, sometimes you just want to get away from all that and rest at a place where none of that junk exists. Other than MRB, the only other truly ad and spam free free email services I still have are as old or older than MyRealBox, have less than a third of its storage, and are closed for registration. And of course I too have sentimental reasons for keeping these old jalopies in an era of super sports cars out of some kind of need for continuity and permanence in a world where things change without notice and nothing seems stable.

That's why despite their age and limited features, the old trusty true blue workhorses still have a significant following.

jdtaylor · 23 Feb 2007, 05:00 AM

I am actually wondering if there may be some major and noticeable improvements in the interface and system in the next few months now they have taken over with say possibly a redesigned web interface and improved spam filters which really do need working on as they let in so much spam.

21 Feb 2007, 04:37 PM	#1
King Of Email Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 622	MyRealBox.com going out of business MyRealBox, a long time free Novell Networks free 10MB spam, virus, and ad free email service is closing for good. Active account holders have the option of allowing their accounts to expire and be deleted or request their mail service be transferred to one of MRB's corporate partners; Messaging Architects sometime before March 25, 2007. The transfer promises larger email storage along with the other features MyRealBox had. However, the transfer must be requested by a simple and short online form, but the exact process of how "new" accounts will be recreated is still unclear. From what they say, it appears additional info will be sent to your existing MyRealBox account, at least until the March 25th cut off date. When it debuted, MyRealBox's 10MB free storage was considered generous. Since then their 10MB allowance has been totally eclipsed by other free email applications. However, it has retained something the others have never been able to achieve; an almost perfect, 100% spam free service. In fact, to date, MyRealBox is the only free email service I have ever had, that never allowed a single spam email into my inbox. It is also the one and only free email service that never placed any ads whatsoever in the inbox, or permitted viruses to get through. That is the most important reason, despite outages during test periods, that I have kept this little demo account for almost 10 years. I hope the successors to this legacy can maintain its quality service at least in terms of a spam and ad free interface.

22 Feb 2007, 02:53 AM	#6
King Of Email Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 622	MyRealBox kapitsky, whether or not the email extension will still be in the form of: user@myrealbox.com, isn't a given. I'll wait and see. If it becomes something like: user@messagingarchitects.com, I will likely abandon it. I just had another old account migrate and the extension changed drastically to where the old one didn't work and the new one wasn't one I wanted to keep. Also I used to have an account at a place called F15.com, a nice easy memorable email address that up and changed to humanfarm.com. I understandably dumped that one. gunnarj, it is also my hope that MyRealBox's new incarnation will embody new and advanced features yet retain an ad free interface. Ironically, whereas your MyRealBox account is a spam magnet and mine hasn't been, my Inbox.com account (never given out) is the exact opposite. I guess it depends on when you registered and how many times you logged in,and of course how many times you gave out the address.

22 Feb 2007, 06:24 PM	#14
King Of Email Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 622	MyRealBox It's just that MyRealBox's situation brings up visions of what happened with another old, long time favorite I used and enjoyed for many years; Mailandnews.com and how promises were made but not kept. The thing is that it is very, very rare nowadays that you can have a free email account with absolutely no ads, banners, pop-ups, or reams of spam to pay for the ad free interface that I would regret losing one of the last holdovers from the "good old days". Most of the time I don't mind a few ads or even a tiny amount of commerical email to fund a free service. However, sometimes you just want to get away from all that and rest at a place where none of that junk exists. Other than MRB, the only other truly ad and spam free free email services I still have are as old or older than MyRealBox, have less than a third of its storage, and are closed for registration. And of course I too have sentimental reasons for keeping these old jalopies in an era of super sports cars out of some kind of need for continuity and permanence in a world where things change without notice and nothing seems stable. That's why despite their age and limited features, the old trusty true blue workhorses still have a significant following.

21 Feb 2007, 05:01 PM	#2
Sherry Moderator Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: USA Posts: 8,687	Thanks for the update on that King Of Email. Sure glad we have time to change the address of those using it. Sherry

21 Feb 2007, 08:27 PM	#3
kaptitsky The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 2,186	Technically, MyRealBox isn't going out of business, it's being transferred to another owner. Your address continues. The subject header is less than corrrect. However, DigitalMe.com, which has been hosted on MyRealBox is going out of business, and any accounts on that domain will end on the March 25 date.

21 Feb 2007, 10:10 PM	#4
jdtaylor Master of the @ Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 1,693	Most interesting, I will wait and see what happens to my account, as it's a good source for collecting spam to improve my spam filter and pass onto other providers to help them.

22 Feb 2007, 12:44 AM	#5
gunnarj Essential Contributor Join Date: May 2002 Location: Northeast, US Posts: 433	It's interesting how our mileage differs re different accounts and the spam we get or don't. My 'MyRealBox' account is a 'spam magnet' (lots and lots of spam, with no filter to fiddle with), though I keep the account as it is one of my longest standing free ones with IMAP and forwarding, and therefore has an emotional attachment of sorts. Also, spam notwithstanding the account has been mostly stable, with periodic down times, not for a long while now though, and I've used it to receive a couple of newsletters and notices etc. for years now with no difficulties. It'll be interesting to see how the transfer to the new service will proceed, and what the details will be. Looking forward to it; I am hoping the change will be positive or at least interesting and a continuation of this particular branch of my collection of free email services. Lots of fun to me! gj

22 Feb 2007, 04:55 AM	#9
xmailer Intergalactic Postmaster Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: USA Posts: 5,485	It looks like my recollection wasn't very precise and I hadn't bothered keeping the page open. But not having to change mail client configuration at least seems to strongly imply that the @myrealbox.com addresses will remain intact.

22 Feb 2007, 07:38 AM	#11
kaptitsky The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 2,186	It appears to me that Messaging Architects http://messagingarchitects.com/ is taking over the entire Novell Groupwise suite, of which MRB is a demo project. The idea that Novell has committed the product to someone who is committed to develop it seems to harkens well for the GroupWise suite, as well as for its demo, MyRealBox. I like to give developers the benefit of the doubt, knowing they aren't just operators, but people committed to building a good service, for their own long term health. But yes, I know that lots of people like to talk about where others screwed up, now or in the past, grumble on about desgin choices, and expect the worst. Their call, I say. And that makes 1000.

22 Feb 2007, 08:14 AM	#12
msulloway Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 154	It was clear after long time problems last year at MRB & changes at other Novell sites, that MRB's service would be cut at some point. A pity.

23 Feb 2007, 05:00 AM	#15
jdtaylor Master of the @ Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 1,693	I am actually wondering if there may be some major and noticeable improvements in the interface and system in the next few months now they have taken over with say possibly a redesigned web interface and improved spam filters which really do need working on as they let in so much spam.