POP is a technology used for email communication, allowing a computer to download all messages from an email server. It benefits users who need to access emails offline, but it is not ideal for those with multiple devices. Other solutions include IMAP and Microsoft Exchange Server.
POP stands for Post Office Protocol and is one of the technologies used for that all-important medium of communication: email. Like many other things related to computers, email requires a special language for receiving or sending mail. POP is one of the technologies that allows email sent from anywhere in the world to arrive in a person’s mailbox.
When a person sends an email to a specific address, it is transmitted across the internet and eventually arrives on an email server. In order for an individual’s personal computer to receive that mail, it must follow a certain protocol. POP allows a computer to talk to the email server and then download all messages each time it connects.
One of the benefits of this technology is the ability to download all messages to a local computer. This way, the user can view his messages on the go, without having a live internet connection. Before a flight, a user could access all of their emails and then view them via laptop on the plane when an internet connection might be limited or unavailable.
Another benefit is for email servers with limited storage space. For example, a small business may have only one small email server for all of its staff. If each person periodically downloads all of their e-mail to a local computer, it saves the company from having to invest in more storage space.
Of course, there are always drawbacks and POP is no exception. The protocol isn’t the ideal choice for the increasingly mobile population with more than one computer. Once the email is downloaded from the mail server, it resides permanently on the local computer unless it is sent from somewhere else. An employee accessing email at the office, for example, will not be able to view email again at home, as all email will be archived on the office computer.
Other solutions that solve this problem include IMAP email accounts and Microsoft Exchange Server. These technologies allow all e-mail to be read directly from a server, so that all messages are readily available regardless of which computer a person is using. The downside of this is that, if there is an internet outage, you will not be able to access your email.
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