A mail user agent (MUA) is an email program that collects and sends emails. It is also called an email client and is used in email headers. E-mails are handled by mail servers and web-based mail user agents can be accessed anywhere, but may be less secure. Popular mail agents include Microsoft Outlook Express, Pegasus, and Thunderbird.
A mail user agent (MUA) is an email program; software designed to collect and send e-mail. It is also called an email program or an email client. The term “mail user agent” is less familiar to the average person, but is used in email headers. Email headers provide information to mail servers or computers that handle the transfer of messages across networks such as the Internet.
Network standards have been established to make it possible to exchange messages from a virtually unlimited pool of clients. To this end, each Mail User Agent handles text messages, graphics, and attached messages in a similar way. When a user sends an email, a variety of information is sent with the message to ensure it reaches its destination. This additional “addressing” information is included in the headers, along with the name of the mail program as “mail user agent”.
E-mail sent from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) is handled by that ISP’s mail server, which is the equivalent of an electronic post office. The mail arrives at the mail server first, is processed and forwarded to the destination. Another mail server resides at the destination. Receives all incoming mail and sorts it electronically into mailboxes. The recipient picks up the mail using their e-mail program to connect to the mail server requesting items from the mailbox.
Another type of mail user agent is web-based. In this case, an email program is integrated into a website for public use. The server hosts many email accounts that users can access by providing a username and password. Once you have logged in to a mailbox, you can write and send emails or collect emails. Each user maintains a unique email address assigned by the website for his exclusive use.
The advantage of a web-based mail user client is that the web account can be accessed anywhere an internet connection is available. This could be from a friend’s computer, mobile phone, or while traveling using a computer in a hotel or Internet cafe. The disadvantage of web-based email is that all sent and received mail resides on a public mail server, rather than the ISP’s private mail server. A web-based mail server may be less secure than your ISP’s mail server, although no email is truly private unless it’s encrypted.
Microsoft Outlook Express, Pegasus by David Harris and Thunderbird by Mozilla are among the most popular free mail agents. Popular shareware mail clients include Opera Mail (bundled with the Opera browser), The Bat! from RiTLabs and many others.
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