Understanding E-mail

Derived from Electronic Mail, Email works like a letter, the only difference is how it is exchanged. Computers use the TCP/IP protocol to send and receive email messages in the structure of packets. Nowadays, information or messages are exchanged between hosts using also the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol with programs named mail transfer agents. Users can interpret or download their messages from their chosen servers with standard protocols (POP, IMAP). Email has gained reputation with the spread of the Internet. In many cases, email has become the preferred method of communication. The first thing you need to send and receive emails is an email address.

When you create an account with an Internet Service Provider you are usually given an email address to send from and receive emails. If this isn’t the case you can create an email address / account at web sites such as yahoo, hotmail and Google.

Though there is some degree of uncertainty as to when e-mail was invented, the father of the modern version is generally regarded to be American Ray Tomlinson. Before Tomlinson, messages could be sent between users but only those connected to the same computer. They could not be targeted to a particular individual. Tomlinson devised a way to address email to certain users and thus was credited for one of the most important communication inventions in the 20th century.

Imagine how it would be like if email was not invented. Companies, businessmen, friends and relatives have to send and receive mails via the post mail. It will be time consuming and impractical. Thanks to all the people behind its invention, we can now use this mode of communication freely and conveniently. Regardless of the time and distance from one another, two could easily meet and communicate with email. There are people who are actually constantly checking their email accounts because they don’t want to miss any of their mails. That’s how email works for us.