IMAP or POP3

lee634

hi all,

having been using pop3 email based servicefor some years now but have realised my provider also offers an IMAP service,

what are the advantages of using IMAP over POP3 if any ??
bearing in mind, i am theonly onewho uses the email account

nickmack

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMAP

Lawbag_2

emails are stored on a remote server and can be accessed via Outlook/Express anywhere.

POP emails are downloaded from the email server and then deleted and held on your machine.

IMAP emails are downloaded from the email server but not deleted until you want them.

I highly recommend IMAP over POP, but then I use it for myself.

Think of IMAP as hotmail or yahoo but more refined, i.e. you can use your own domain etc...

any more questions?

lee634

lawbag thanks for that,

thats what I understood it as, just wondered if anyone had prefernces and why

Lawbag_2

if you get a big enough INBOX I use it as an online storage device for documents, because I simply email myself files and links etc...

Most IMAP providers also offer a webmail service too, but the way it integrates into Outlook is seemless - plus it works offline too - i.e. if you are not online you can still view your emails (obviously it wont send and receive) you have since you last S/R. Something Hotmail and Yahoo dont yet offer.

Lawbag_2

I have a 100mb inbox, and my provider will allow an overspill, but you get warning messages.