Emails

Introduction 

Almost everybody has an email account which they can use to send and receive emails with and most social networking sites like facebook ,myspace and  twitter require the user to have a email account but what are emails really, how do they work and more will be considered in this article.

What are emails  

Electronic mail, most commonly referred to as email or e-mail since approximately 1993, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the same time, in common with instant messaging. Today's email systems are based on a store-and-forward model. Email servers accept, forward, deliver, and store messages. Neither the users nor their computers are required to be online simultaneously; they need connect only briefly, typically to an email server, for as long as it takes to send or receive messages.
When and by who was email made
VA Shiva Ayyadurai (born 2 December 1963 in Mumbai, India) is an American scientist and entrepreneur.
As a high school student in 1978, he developed a full-scale emulation of the interoffice mail system, which he called "EMAIL" and copyrighted in 1982.

Types of emails
There are four main types Web-based email, Provider-based email, Institution-based email and Self-hosted email.
In Web-based email it is  entirely online: you visit a website to log in to your account, your email is stored on your email service’s computers, and nothing is ever stored on your computer unless you choose to download it and save it. You can log in to web-based email from any internet browser in the world and from that service’s app on your smartphone or tablet.
Provider-based email is email that your internet service provider offers you as part of your service. Comcast, Verizon, RCN, or any other service provider may offer email that they store on their servers, like web-based email. You access this email using a web browser or from a web-ready television.
Institution-based email is email you get through work, school, or another organization. You usually access this email using a web browser or directly through a client (see below) on your work computer.
Self-hosted email is email you or a friend/acquaintance hosts for you. If you run your own website, you may also get email with that website address provided as part of your web hosting service.
How do emails work 

  

In a real life situation example Gmail

  
  



What is Email Protocol
In computing, a protocol is the language used by computers while talking with each other. In its simplest form, a protocol is the rules used in talking and communication between
computers.
Types of email protocol
 
Imap
Short for Internet Message Access Protocol, a protocol for retrieving e-mail messages. The latest version, IMAP4, is similar to POP3 but supports some additional features. For example, with IMAP4, you can search through your e-mail messages for keywords while the messages are still on mail server. You can then choose which messages to download to your machine.
Pop(Post Office Protocol 3)
 POP is short for Post Office Protocol, a protocol used to retrieve e-mail from a mail server. 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).

Smtp
(pronounced as separate letters) Short for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, a protocol for sending e-mail messages between servers. Most e-mail systems that send mail over the Internet use SMTP to send messages from one server to another; the messages can then be retrieved with an e-mail client using either POP or IMAP. In addition, SMTP is generally used to send messages from a mail client to a mail server. This is why you need to specify both the POP or IMAP server and the SMTP server when you configure your e-mail application.

 Advantages of email

1. EMail enables speedy communication
2. Email provides the receiver an option to respond immediately
3. Email saves tons of trees daily (Alternative to papers)
4. Email saves tons of fuels daily (Freight vehicle fuels)
5. User enjoys sending colorful and attractive messages using HTML
6. Businesses enjoys no or low cost communication
7. A new business opportunity for email service providers through Ads
8. A free communication media for users
9. More delightful fast and rich media presentation for receiver
10. After all, email is the first source to interact with a person personally when he is free unlike in a telephone or any real time we need the receiver to be engaged
11. e-mail is a low cost way to transmit messages
12. e-mail messages are always easy to locate
13. it is always a secure means of sending messages
14. it eliminates the need for conventional surface mail
15. you can choose priority (high which is fast or low which is slow)

Disadvantages

1. Lack of computer knowledge among people, so not sure all receiving parties use email system
2. Unwanted SPAM emails
3. Illegal contents including VIRUS damages end user systems, data & reputation
4. Email might not send due to loss of connection to the internet
5. Emails cannot really be used for official business documents. They may be lost and you cannot sign them.
6. Your mailbox may get flooded with emails after a certain time so you have to empty it from time to time. 

  References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_client
http://blog.bpl.org/lifeonline/index.php/2011/07/email-definitions/
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/I/IMAP.html
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_advantage_and_disadvantage_of_email
http://www.english-online.at/media/emails/advantages-disadvantages-of-electronic-mail.htm