1980's Style Email Won't Go Away

Email has been around for a long time.  Most people are familiar with "POP3", the protocol which allows you to download your email from an email server.  If you have a custom domain and email address, then you probably use POP to download your email.  However, most people probably DON'T know that the POP protocol is over 20 years old and POP3 as we know it was developed in 1988. (POP1 and POP2 were developed in 1984 and 1985.)

While POP has been reliable, it is extremely dated and has many limitations.  Using POP3, an email client fetches mail messages from a server and stores them locally on a computer. Usually, once the message is downloaded, it is removed from the server.

Backups Please?

One huge problem with POP3 is that since your email is downloaded to your local computer, you and you alone are responsible for backing it up.  If your pc or laptop dies, say bye-bye to your years of accumulated email.

Impossible Task: Sharing Email with Multiple PCs with POP3

Another huge problem presents itself when one tries to receive mail on more than one computer. Using POP with default settings, a message is only delivered to a single computer when that computer checks for new messages.  If you try to download your email on two computers, the second computer will not receive the message that was just downloaded or "fetched" on the first.

Problems with Leaving Messages on the Server

People have been trying for years to come up with ways to remedy this basic problem. Many simply enable a feature which leaves a copy of a message on the server after it is downloaded for a certain number of days. The obvious problem with this setting is that once computer #1 and #2 download a message, there are two copies of the message. If you delete a message on one, it still resides on the other. If you delete 10 new junk mail messages, they'll still be on the other PC. Furthermore, to keep from 'redownloading' messages left on the server, email clients (Outlook included) must keep a record of message that have already been downloaded. If you make any type of configuration change to your mail settings, many times what happens is that record of which emails have already been downloaded gets cleared. Then, upon checking for new messages again, BAM: Every message for the past 'x' number of days is redownloaded - including all of those junk messages you had already deleted! Additionally, the messages you hadn't deleted are now duplicated.

Additionally, many ISPs only offer a certain amount of disk space (say 20mb).  If while you're out of town someone sends you a 19.5mb file attachment, then your mailbox will begin rejecting any new incoming mail. When you return from out of town and check your mail, only the messages before that big fat file attachment will be received.  All of the others are lost forever.

IMAP protocol

To combat POP's shortcomings, many use the IMAP protocol. Instead of downloading messages as with POP, IMAP allows users to store ALL of their email on a server which also keeps track of which messages have been read or deleted. As great as IMAP is, it has two drawbacks. It only synchronizes email, and it's SLOW. Every time you "Send & Receive" or check for new messages, your PC has to download a list of all the messages, not just new ones, in your inbox and each subfolder you chose to check. If you have thousands of email and 20 different subfolders, go make a sandwich.

PST Synchronization

Many people who use Microsoft Outlook have tried products that attempt to "synchronize" all of the PCs together, including email, contacts, calendars, tasks, etc.  While these products sometimes work, they are expensive, slow, and hard to setup and maintain - not to mention a total pain (we speak from experience).

Today's Email is Powered by Exchange 2007

There is a better way to do email and a better way of synchronizing Microsoft Outlook on multiple PCs with your email, contacts, calendar, and tasks. The answer is Microsoft Exchange.