Outook - IMAP or POP3
Igaware users can choose between POP3 and
IMAP for accessing email. Details about the differences appear elsewhere,
but the information below may help you decide which email protocol
is better for you to choose.
Note: Outlook works well with POP3 but
as an IMAP client it has its limitations (read on). Netscape Mail
is on IMAP client you may wish to consider as an alternative.
- POP was designed for, and works best in, the
situation where you use only a single desktop computer
- Normally, messages are downloaded to your desktop
computer and then deleted from the mail server
- If you choose to work with your POP mail on
more than one machine, you may have trouble with email messages
getting downloaded on one machine that you need to work with on
another machine; for example, you may need a message at work that
was downloaded to your machine at home
- If you choose the POP option "keep mail
on server", your POP "inbox" can grow large and
unwieldy, and email operations can become inefficient and time-consuming
- Your archive of mail, if you have one, is kept
on your desktop computer - you generally need little storage space
on the mail server
- You have to take care of your own backups
of the mail downloaded to your computer
- IMAP is designed for the situation where you
need to work with your email from multiple computers, such as
your workstation at work, your desktop computer at home, or a
laptop computer while traveling
- Messages are displayed on your local computer
but are kept and stored on the mail server - you can work with
all your mail, old and new, from any Internet computer
- Your archive of mail grows on the mail server
- you generally need more storage space than you would need when
using POP
- You can create subfolders on the mail server
to organize the mail you want to keep, thus keeping your "inbox"
small
- Mail kept on the server is backed up
nightly by head office.
- you need access to your email, new and old,
at multiple locations, e.g., office, customer, home
- you want backup protection for your email files
to be provided automatically by head office
- you use POP3 but use the "leave email
on server" option - IMAP handles this situation more efficiently,
particularly as the Inbox gets larger
- you have used IMAP and were satisfied with
it
- you generally work with your email only
in a single location or on a single computer
- Webmail works fine for you when you need
to check new email if you are not at the computer you normally
use
messages you save are stored safely, with adequate backup protection
(to your satisfaction), on your computer
- you have used POP3 and are satisfied
with it
To configure IMAP
for outlook 2002, click here.
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