Whether you get your mail from a postal worker or from a computer, you want the same degree of reliability, consistency, and security. In fact, if you are like many people today, you probably depend more on your e-mail service than on regular snail mail. So, you want to make sure that your email reader meets your needs. There are a number of different readers each offering comparable features. It's worth noting some of the main differences between them so you can choose a reader that suits your particular needs.

Email readers basically fall into two categories. There are readers that use an Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) and allow you to store your mail on a central server. There are readers that use a Post Office Protocol (POP) and make you store your mail on your computer's hard drive.

If you use computers in different locations such as at home, at work, at a friend's or on a public terminal, then an IMAP reader will likely suit your computing needs and style. You can access your mail and mailboxes no matter where you are. You don't need to install any special software on your computer. In fact, you do not even need to own a computer.

You do, however, need to be online to receive, view and compose messages. So, IMAP readers are more suitable for people who primarily use "always on" connections such as a computer with cable connection at the local Arts and Culture Centre or a computer with an ADSL connection from an airport or from home. Because you access your mail through a web browser, you need Internet Explorer or Netscape.

Two popular IMAP-based readers are Hotmail [www.hotmail.com] and Yahoo! Mail [mail.yahoo.com/]. Both readers do a virus scan of all incoming and outgoing messages including ones with attachments. And you can still use the same Yahoo or Hotmail e-mail address even if you change to a different Internet Service Provider.

One of the main disadvantages with IMAP-based readers is that they limit storage space for your mailboxes. Yahoo! Mail offers 6MB of storage space with the option of increasing your storage space to 25MB for about $30 per year. Hotmail allows only 2MB.

Storage space is not something you'd typically worry about with a POP reader. Your mail is downloaded from the mail server to your local computer so your space in limited only to the available space on your hard drive. Your mail is normally deleted from the server on download. This means that you will not be able to access your mail or mail folders from any another computer. You can always choose the "leave mail on server" setting but you will not be able to access your mail folders from a different computer and you will end up with duplicate copies-one on each computer.

POP-based mail readers are convenient if you have a pay-per-use connection such as a dial-up one because you can compose and read your mail offline. You only need to be connected for as long as it takes to download your mail. Of course, these readers also function with an "always on" connection.

One of the more popular POP readers is Outlook [www.microsoft.com/office/outlook/] which is included with the Microsoft Office package or Outlook Express (OE) [www.microsoft.com/windows/oe/] which comes bundled with Internet Explorer. Outlook Express can be configured to perform as an IMAP reader but it typically supports POP.

Unfortunately, Outlook's popularity as well as the fact that it's owned by Bill Gates has meant that it is increasingly a target for viruses and worms. These nuisances are often designed to attach themselves to Outlook's address book. Anyone using a mail reader can receive the viruses but only Outlook and OE users can send them.

An alternative to Outlook is Eudora 5.1 [www.eudora.com/products/eudora/download/], free in sponsored mode with ads or in paid mode for about $50 US. Eudora is now also available in IMAP format with Eudora Web-Mail [www.eudoramail.com]. The storage space limit is 4 MB and like Hotmail and Yahoo! mail, it is free.

The trend in email readers seems to be to provide support for IMAP and web-based mail reading. People not only want their mail service to be reliable, but available no matter where they are. In this case, an appropriate slogan for mail delivery in the digital age might be: "Either home or at work or at play or when I'm away…."

Previously published in The Express 09/01
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