Not only is ``Dialup Networking'' available under Linux, it's also more stable and quicker. The name of the game is ``PPP'', the protocol employed for connecting to the Internet using modems. You need a kernel that supports PPP and a tool that dials and makes the connection.
To retrieve your mail from the ISP's server you need a tool called ``email
fetcher'' that uses the POP protocol; when the mail is fetched it will
appear as though it had been directly delivered to your Linux box. You'll
then use a MUA (Mail User Agent) like pine, mutt,
elm or many others to manage it.
While under Windows the dialer is automatically invoked when you launch
an Internet application, under Linux the path is the other way round: you
dial first, then launch the application. A thing called diald
provides the usual behaviour. Installing and configuring dialup networking
used to be one of the most difficult things to do under Linux, but not
anymore: please consult the Configuration HOWTO.
Finally, a word about ``Network neighborhood'': you can make your Linux workstation appear as Windows NT/9x in a local network of Windows machines! The magic word is Samba: not the lively Brazilian dance, but an implementation of the SMB protocol for Linux. Go to http://samba.anu.edu.au/samba.