subject: Mail User Agent, an Overview [print this page] Mail User Agent, an Overview Mail User Agent, an Overview
Do you use Microsoft Outlook Express, Mozilla's Thunderbird or David Harris's Pegasus? These are among the most popular free mail user agents these days. Besides, Opera Mail which is bundled with the Opera browser is also a very popular shareware email client. In this article we will discuss more about all these mail user agents.
Mail user agents are widely popular these days. This is email program software which has been designed to collect and send electronic mail. Most of the computer users are now familiar with the term "mail user agent" but it is used in email headers. The headers of the email provide information to the mail servers that transfer messages across networks. If you need assistance on Outlook mail, consult an expert.
To exchange messages from a virtual unlimited pool of clients networking standards have been set up. While we send an email an array of information is sent with the mail. This to make sure that the message reaches its destination. The headers of the message include this extra "addressing" information.
Whenever an email is sent from an Internet Service Provider (ISP), this is handled by that ISPs mail server. You can consider it as an equivalent of an electronic post office. The mail comes first to the mail server, and after processing it is forwarded towards the destination. There is anther mail server at the destination. The job of this mail server is to receive all incoming mail and electronically arrange them into mailboxes. And the user can pick up the email by using their email program.
Web-based mail user agent is also there. These email programs are built into a website and the server incorporates many mailbox accounts. The users can access their accounts through a username and password. After logging into their mailbox, the users can write and send email or collect email.
There are several advantages of a Web-based mail user client. The first thing is that the user can access the Web account from anywhere via an Internet connection. Even they can do it when they are on the go by using cell phone or laptop. Even they can do the same by using a hotel or Internet caf computer. There are also disadvantages. The main disadvantage of Web-based email is that all sent and received mail stays on a public mail server instead of your ISP's private mail server. Due to this reason, the Web-based mail server is less secure as compared to ISP's mail server. However, no email is truly private unless it is encrypted.
