MIME allows users to transfer various types of files and applications through internet mail and downloads. It was created in 1991 to extend the Simple Mail Transport Protocol and has since evolved to include new file extensions. The server inserts MIME at the beginning of a transmission to identify the file being used. New MIMEs must be registered with the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority before general use.
MIME, or Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions, has to do with past and present Internet mail protocol configuration. Essentially, MIME helps the ability of the email protocol to allow users to transfer all kinds of programs, images and communications across the World Wide Web. It is thanks to MIME that audio and video files can be shared as well as application programs and other data file types.
Most Internet users today benefit from the invention and use of MIME, but would not recognize the term. MIME built on the functionality of the already existing protocol and made it possible to expand the types of files and applications that can be shared via Internet mail and downloads from websites. The roots of MIME can be traced back to 1991, when Nathan Borenstein advocated the concept of extending the current Simple Mail Transport Protocol (or SMTP) so that data other than ASCII text could be transferred through various types of web clients and servers. The end result of this idea was that a wider range of file types were created, each with a unique extension, and which could be inserted into or attached to an email with ease. New file extensions such as supported internet email protocol have continued to develop and evolve over time.
In actual function, the server will insert MIME at the beginning of an Internet-based transmission. This is accomplished by creating a header for the transmission which helps identify the nature of the file being used as part of the transmission. The client receiving the transmission reads the header and selects the appropriate protocol to allow the recipient to receive, access, and use the data. Today many of these protocols, or readers as they are known informally, are part of the standard configuration on most computers sold today. JPEG and GIF are among the players that are already there when the computer reaches the point of sale. However, other players are not part of the standard setup and must be acquired and downloaded by the end user.
The creation of new MIMEs continues today. Before any proposed MIME can be released for general use on the Internet, it must first be registered with the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority and meet all currently valid specifications.
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