| This may feel like a mini-course in ancient history, | | | | combined with the Outlook client was extremely |
| but I am only going back 20 years. | | | | popular, and is still popular today. Exchange is a |
| Back in the mid 1980's during University, my email | | | | messaging and groupware server that uses IMAP |
| was a mcgill.ca address while my American | | | | as one of the many protocols to access email. It |
| associates had an ".edu" email address. Access to | | | | also has the Outlook Web Access feature which |
| these systems was through a Telnet session at | | | | was more convenient than conventional web |
| any of the school's terminals. From home, I could | | | | based email as it had your contacts, shared |
| dial-in to a SLIP server with a 2400 baud modem, | | | | calendars and public folders. |
| and get my email as long as I had a Telnet client. | | | | Today, I still like using Outlook, as it offers a |
| Those who didn't go to College had access to a | | | | great "store and forward" mechanism: the ability |
| Freenet account, which was also accessible | | | | to work off-line on my laptop. I can easily work in |
| through Telnet. | | | | Draft mode on an airplane and connect to the |
| When I graduated and had to pay for an Internet | | | | Internet to synchronize my mailbox when back |
| Service Provider, I accessed email through POP | | | | on land. Plus, my Contacts are synchronized with |
| and SMTP with Outlook or Eudora for years until I | | | | my Palm PDA or Blackberry wireless handheld |
| needed the ability to access the web from | | | | device. |
| anywhere in the world. IMAP helped bridge the | | | | Sure, I could download my Yahoo or Gmail to my |
| gap as long as the mail client was setup on my | | | | Outlook by using POP, but it wouldn't synchronize |
| work and home computer so all my mail, Inbox, | | | | any changes. It also depends if my mail was |
| Sent Items, and Drafts, were synchronized. | | | | deleted on the server after downloading, or |
| With the popularity of web based emails by the | | | | stored on the server. Sorting email can be |
| mid 1990's, the big 3 were MSN's Hotmail, Yahoo! | | | | painfully slow with Yahoo compared to Gmail's |
| and Google's Gmail. People would change or have | | | | lightning fast search algorithm, but you can't sort |
| multiple accounts as storage space was often the | | | | by file size, for example. |
| biggest headache. It wasn't long ago when 2 | | | | Now that Gmail supports IMAP, by combining it |
| megabytes was the maximum storage space. | | | | with Outlook, I combine the best of both worlds. |
| Gmail was the first to offer 2 gigabytes of | | | | There are some features of Outlook I cannot live |
| storage, and continuously growing. | | | | without, and with the popularity of social |
| Most web based email providers had the ability to | | | | networking, integration with LinkedIn or Facebook |
| download POP email, but your email "from" or | | | | makes it more appealing. |
| "reply-to" address was usually your web based | | | | There is a trend for personal email decreasing in |
| email address. This is acceptable for personal use, | | | | favor of Instant Messaging and text messaging |
| but not for corporate use. | | | | via cell phone. However, Email will always have a |
| At a corporate level, Microsoft Exchange | | | | place in the corporate world. |