>And then we have the bandwidth issue. If the email is stored online, then >everytime you want to reread an old email, you have to redownload it to a >local cache for display.
Is this true? I thought mails you've asked to read actually stay on your client machine for offline reading and replying-to and deleting, etc. It may be that offering IMAP enables ISPs to serve non-PC clients -- like cellphones and PDAs, of which there are now many more than there are PCs. This page (written in 1993?) offers a comparison to POP and indicates some advantage of IMAP. POP, it seems, was designed to minimize connect times; you dial in, retrieve all messages, and get off. IMAP also is much better at enabling multiple devices to share a single mailbox. http://www.bath.ac.uk/bucs/misc/imap.html o POP paradigm advantages: -Minimum use of connect time. -Minimum use of server resources. o POP protocol advantages: -Simpler protocol; easier to implement. -More client software currently available. o IMAP paradigm advantages: -Saved-message folders may be stored on server (as well as INBOX). -Allows access to INBOX (not just new mail) from multiple platforms. -Allows concurrent access to a shared mailbox from multiple platforms. -Allows concurrent access to mailboxes on multiple mailservers. -Offers improved offline mail handling. -Allows selective transfer of messages/parts to client (local Save). -Can also use POP paradigm, for minimum connect time and server resources. o IMAP protocol advantages: -Suitable for accessing non-email data; e.g., NetNews, documents. -Faster startup time, as only the headers are fetched initially. -Allows selective fetching of individual MIME message body parts. -Effective over low-speed links. -Ability to use server for searching. -Offline processing w/resynchronizing is a planned enhancement. i'll keep looking. here's one to check out: Oddpost, a new Webmail service. %%%%%%%%%%%%%% John W. Verity So. Orange, NJ 973-763-1241 ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe send a mail message with a SUBJECT line of "unsubscribe" to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
