Traditional email on the Internet is done via the aid of two servers (the POP or Post Office Protocol server, and the SMTP or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol server). Basically, the POP server acts as your proxy to receive email, and you send outgoing email via the SMTP server. Recently there have been some changes in email that you might want to take advantage of.
Email can now be read and sent using web pages, rather than via a traditional email program such as Outlook Express of Eudora. Instead of using one of these programs, you just go to a webpage that displays your email and allows you to compose new messages. You would use your standard web browser program (Internet Explorer, Netscape, etc.) to do this. The primary difference between the two approaches is that when using traditional email programs, the email data is transferred to your computer. Using web page based email, the email stays on the web page server - you only look at it.
The primary advantage of web page based email is that you are protected from viruses in most cases since you are only looking at the email - you are not really putting it into your computer. Of course, if you download something in the email to your computer, you are then possibly exposed to viruses just as you would be using traditional email. Another advantage is that you can read your email from any computer on the Internet; this comes in handy if you are away from home.
The disadvantage of web page based email is that you may have to pay for it, or pay for the storage used. You can probably find free services that give you a limited amount of storage, but then charge for additional storage.
If you decide to try web page based email, you will find that there are two different types. One type still uses your current POP server - it just reads the email from your server and displays it. In this way, you can keep your current email ID. The second type of web page based email uses its own POP and SMTP servers and thus you must change your email ID to use them.
An example of the first type is www.mail2net.com. Examples of the second type are Yahoo mail or Hotmail.
Another reason to use web page based email is to just get another email ID that you would use in those circumstances when you want some anonymity or privacy. You could, for example, get a Yahoo mail ID and then use that ID when you need to supply an email ID and really don't want to give out your real one. This approach isn't really kind to Yahoo as it can use up their resources, but I hear that it is fairly commonly done.
But, whichever type of email you use, make sure your PC has up to date virus protection. The viruses out there are getting smarter and trickier every day.
Late News: As I predicted in earlier columns about digital music, Internet radio stations, and file swapping, some of the services have now moved out of the US and hence not subject to our laws. And I also predicted that US record companies would then move to deny access to these websites - in effect blocking or censoring the Internet. Well, it has happened. The major record companies have sued the Internet (the major Internet backbone providers such as UUNET, AT&T, Cable and Wireless, and Sprint) to block access to these sites. If this succeeds, it will set a precedent that will lead to the demise of the Internet as we now know it. Stay tuned…
Bob Seidel is a local computer consultant in the Southport / Oak Island area. You can visit his website at www.bobseidel.com or e-mail him at bsc@bobseidel.com).