Webmail

As webmail services on the World Wide Web are designated which permit the management of e -mails with a Web browser. By default, a directory and file directory are integrated. More and more web mail applications offer groupware functionalities. Many Internet service providers offer webmail as a supplement to their service, with free e-mail providers use is mostly financed by advertising.

Pros and Cons

Advantageously, the low requirements, because emails are available from any computer with an Internet connection and Web browser. In addition, the final status of the processing of the mailbox (eg read, moved, deleted e -mails, address book ) the same everywhere, regardless of whether one is accessing from home in the office or on vacation to his e -mail. The risk of data loss can be estimated to be lower than in the private computer as a rule, to the extent it can be assumed that the webmail provider a more professional data backup strategy pursued as a consumer market.

The disadvantage is that the Web interfaces, compared to current e -mail clients dominate partly fewer features (in particular usually lack the support of drag & drop). Especially in the mobile processing of mail, there is no access to the mailbox, if the network connection is bad or broken. However, there are few software solutions that parts of the webmail functionality into the operating system integrate (eg sending e -mails from third party applications using MAPI).

Server Software

To provide webmail services to programs are as

• Atmail (PHP, Ajax, Apache2 )
• Citadel / UX (including groupware functionality, GPL )
• Internet Messaging Program ( IMP) Horde Groupware (PHP, GPL )
• SquirrelMail (PHP, GPL )
• RoundCube (PHP, Ajax GPL)
• Microsoft Exchange Server ( commercial; Outlook Web Access [ to Exchange 2007 ] / Outlook Web App [ from Exchange 2010 ] )

Comparison of Free Mail providers

See free mail.