

To the user, the main distinction between POP and IMAP, is how your emails are stored. IMAP was developed at Stanford University in 1986 You can then choose which messages to download to your machine. For example, with IMAP4, you can search through your e-mail messages for keywords while the messages are still on mail server. The latest version, IMAP4, is similar to POP3 but supports some additional features. IMAP, Short for Internet Message Access Protocol.Ī protocol for retrieving e-mail messages. The newer version, POP3, can be used with or without SMTP.Ģ. The first, called POP2, became a standard in the mid-80’s and requires SMTP to send messages. Most e-mail applications (sometimes called an e-mail client) use the POP protocol, although some can use the newer IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol). Two main protocols are commonly employed to carry out this function:Ī protocol used to retrieve e-mail from a mail server.
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The alternative to this, is where you can download your emails into your computer and manage them, offline.ĭownload And Interact With Emails Offline You have to remain on the Internet the entire time that you’re interacting with your emails and emails are stored on the server at all times.
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The first method is typical for free email servers, eg Yahoo* and MSN Hotmail.
