| In the course of my work with people online, I often | | | | protected, it is often possible for someonewho |
| run into awall of confusion when I speak of the | | | | knows what they are doing to read your email by |
| different types of emailavailable. People will ask help | | | | usinganother application to open your mail folders. |
| with their email accounts. Ialways ask, "do you have | | | | - All messages are stored on your hard drive eating |
| a web mail account or a POP3 emailaccount?" | | | | up what issometimes very valuable space. |
| In my mind, it has always been a rather simple | | | | - Email folders can become corrupted and sometimes |
| question. Yet,the truth is that the answer is not so | | | | lost forever. |
| simple to most Internetusers. If you are scratching | | | | To get a much more detailed view of exactly how |
| your head trying to figure outjust what I am talking | | | | POP3 emailworks, there are actually two different |
| about, you will be able to answer thequestion without | | | | servers running ona server machine. One is called the |
| confusion by the time you finish reading thisarticle. | | | | SMTP Server, where SMTPstands for Simple Mail |
| Real quickly, I would like to outline for you the | | | | Transfer Protocol. The SMTP serverhandles outgoing |
| distinctionsbetween the two types of email so that | | | | mail. The other is a POP3 Server, where POPstands |
| you can begin tounderstand the differences between | | | | for Post Office Protocol. The POP3 server |
| the two formats. | | | | handlesincoming mail. The following link provides a |
| I will begin with POP3 since that is the one that is | | | | look at exactlyhow POP3 email works in detail: |
| often themost confusing and least known type. | | | | Web-based email is the type that people are most |
| POP3 email accounts require a piece of software | | | | familiar with. |
| called an emailreader in order to send and receive | | | | Whereas POP3 email requires an email reader, web |
| email. Common applicationsthat serve as email | | | | mail onlyrequires a browser like Netscape, Internet |
| readers are: Netscape Messenger, Outlook | | | | Explorer, Opera, |
| Express, Outlook, AOL email, Pegasys, Eudora, Juno | | | | NeoPlanet or Enigma. |
| and a fewothers. | | | | Common brands of web-based email include: Yahoo!, |
| While email readers are often bundled with Internet | | | | Hotmail, |
| browsers,they are actually a separate piece of | | | | AltaVista, Lycos, USA, Netscape.net and thousands |
| software. With a reader,when you are ready to | | | | of others. |
| check your email, you start your emailsoftware. Once | | | | The Advantages of web-based email includes: |
| it opens, click a button on your toolbar todownload | | | | - You only need a browser to check your email from |
| your email and wait for your email to download | | | | any computeron the planet. |
| toyour computer so that you can begin reading it. | | | | - Your email is 100% secure from folks browsing |
| When you are ready to create a new email to send | | | | your computer,unless the person acquires your |
| to others, youhave the options of Reply, Forward, or | | | | password. |
| New Message. Which evermethod you use, you must | | | | - Email is stored on someone else's server. |
| click the correct button inside yoursoftware to | | | | - You do not have to wait for your email to |
| create the new message. | | | | download. |
| Advantages of POP3 email: | | | | The Disadvantages of web-based email include: |
| - You can read your mail without being logged onto | | | | - Most web-based email accounts have a size limit. |
| the Internet. | | | | - Some accounts have a limit to the size of an |
| - You may create new messages to send to others | | | | individual email. |
| without beinglogged onto the Internet. | | | | - Emails of more than 25kb are often changed into |
| - All messages are stored on your hard drive on your | | | | attachments. |
| owncomputer. | | | | - Getting an attachment out of one of these emails |
| - There are often no size limits on the email you | | | | is sometimesvery difficult. |
| send orreceive. | | | | - Most of these accounts have spam filters that send |
| - There is not a maximum size on your mailbox, | | | | requestedezines into the spam folder. |
| except asdetermined by the size of your hard drive. | | | | - Nearly all of these accounts have lots of advertising |
| - There is no advertising when you read your email | | | | whileyou are reading your mail. |
| unless youare using an Adware email reader like | | | | - You must be online to view your email. |
| Eudora. | | | | For years, your only choice has been POP3 or |
| - Opening attachments is a quick and painless | | | | web-based email. Inthis last couple of years, a new |
| process. | | | | type of email reader applicationhas come onto the |
| Disadvantages of POP3 email: | | | | scene. This type of application is an emailretrieval |
| - Opening attachments is a quick and painless | | | | software which allows you to check your mail on |
| process, unlessthe attachment has a virus payload in | | | | both |
| it. | | | | POP3 and web-based email accounts. This software |
| - If you have JavaScript enabled in your email reader, | | | | provides youmost of the functionality of POP3 email |
| you mightbe target of rogue JavaScript embedded in | | | | reader software, but itpermits you to check both |
| an email. | | | | types of email accounts at the sametime. |
| - All messages are stored on your system, and | | | | There are several different programs available in this |
| privacy disappearswhen someone sits down at your | | | | genre. |
| machine. Even if your emailreader is password | | | | |