Webmail or POP? Opinions, etc?

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tdgeek

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#84262 27-May-2011 19:15

I start this thread after one other thread on a specific YahooXTra issue caused comment on webmail/POP in general, so I thought in todays environment it may be a good topic to throw around.

Webmail or POP, which is better and why?

What webmails are the best and why?

Why use webmail and why use POP?

I am sure many may learn a little here.

billgates

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#474920 27-May-2011 19:23

POP/IMAP = Offline access and a full featured email client that you can use.

Webmail = Have to be online 24x7 in order to use it.

If you have POP/IMAP, you also have webmail setup anyway. It's an alternate method to access emails. Most people find an email client on their desktop easy to use. No ad's etc

Do whatever you want to do man.

sbiddle

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#474931 27-May-2011 20:07

POP is IMHO a dead procol used primaraily by people that don't know better options exist.

Webmail is only a method of viewing mail so can't really be compared to POP, my mail is all Exchange so I use a combination of Outlook, OWA, and ActiveSync on mobile devices.

richms

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#474937 27-May-2011 20:36

POP is crap. IMO a mailbox that only has POP is pretty useless, but one that only has POP and has folders that you cant get via pop and have to use webmail like xtra has with yahoo, is insane.

imap is a bare minimum for email IMO, it has many many issues as a protocol when you have large mailboxes but it has largly matured enough that they are not insurmountable.

Edit: and reasons for a client and not webmail - first annoyance is pagination of my inbox on webmail, vs a continuously scrollable area with them all listed. Lousy shortcuts in webmail products, random failures when their ajax fails and it isnt handled properly.

I like to have my mails here, on hardware that I control the possession and connectivity of. Not on some other server that may lose it, or be down, and put obstacles in the way of backing it up.

Richard rich.ms

allan

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#474961 27-May-2011 21:50

Well I've had my own domain for some time and originally had my email as several POP accounts via my domain registrar (as did other family members using the domain), but got sick of the issues around needing to download email and trying to use multiple devices. I then tried running my own mail server, but that became just way too much work.

I've now moved my email to a Windows Live domain (although I could just as easily have tried gmail) and I use a combination of the Outlook Office Connector, which gives me a very Exchange-like experience with email, calendar and contacts; webmail via the Windows Live (Hotmail) interface and activesync onto a couple of different mobile devices. Other family members use some combination of the above except for using the Windows Live desktop mail client in place of the Outlook Office Connector. The best thing is no matter what device you are using, there is a single view as to what you have read and sent.

The added advantage of the above is that there is no more mucking about with port numbers, or trying to send email on one ISP's mail server, while connected to another ISP, or using free wi-fi only to find all mail ports are blocked.

All in all, I'm very happy with this approach.

tdgeek

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#474973 27-May-2011 22:22

Ive always hated webmail, gawdy layout, oversized fonts, but these days its more "normal" looking.

I only use webmail now
All my email is available anywhere
No worry over HDD failure
No worry over backing up
No Settings
It just works

Disadvantages for me:

Prefer a leaner cleaner layout, i..e an OEX type interface.
Less features, but to me email is just email

I use YahooXtra Promail, prefered the previous beta over the new beta. I may well use POP if the new interface stays as it is. I have a Gmail address, but I never use it, as before I did it filled up with spam, mainly Bose speaker spam.

richms

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#474983 27-May-2011 22:40

The big stickingpoint for webmail I have is that you cant have all your providers in a single interface and drag and drop between accounts etc like you can with outlook.

I can drag stuff from the sales account to the businesspartners account so he can see them and reply etc, vs having to foward it etc.

Richard rich.ms