E-mail: Definition and additional resources from ZDNet

(Electronic-MAIL) The transmission of text messages and optional file attachments over a network. Within an enterprise, users can send mail to a single recipient or broadcast it to multiple users. Mail is sent to a simulated mailbox in the network mail server or host computer until it is examined and deleted. The mail program (e-mail client) in your computer queries the mail server every so many minutes and alerts you if new mail has arrived.

A Spelling Note...
In this Encyclopedia, we continue to use the dash in e-mail and other "e-" terms because the "e" pops out more readily, making it easier on the eye to discern.

The Messaging System and the Client
An e-mail system requires a messaging system, which provides the store and forward capability, such as the Internet's Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). The mail client (mail program), such as Outlook or Eudora, provides the user interface with send and receive functions. The Web browser can also substitute for the mail client (see Internet e-mail service).

The Internet Changed It All
The Internet revolutionized e-mail by turning countless incompatible islands into one global system. Initially serving its own users, in the mid-1990s, the Internet began to act as a mail gateway between the major online services. It then became "the" messaging system for the planet. In the U.S., Internet mail is measured in the trillions of messages each year. See messaging system, instant messaging, e-mail attachment and self-destructing e-mail.

E-mail Vs. Fax
Fax documents are scanned images and are thus treated like pictures even if they contain only text. E-mail messages are raw ASCII text, which can be edited immediately in any mail program, text editor or your favorite word processor.

In order to edit the text in a fax, the images of the characters have to be turned into ASCII text by an OCR (optical character recognition) program, which is error prone. If all you want to do is read a message, either method works well. However, if to send text that will be edited and used again, e-mail is the better choice.

The First E-mail on the Internet
In 1971, the first e-mail was typed into the Teletype terminal connected to the Digital Equipment PDP-10 in the rear of the picture below. The message was transmitted via ARPAnet, the progenitor of the Internet, to the PDP-10 in front. Dan Murphy, a Digital engineer, took this photo in the Bolt, Beranek and Newman datacenter. See ARPAnet.

Could They Have Imagined Spam?
When they sent this first message in 1971, could they ever have imagined the billions of e-mails that would follow in the years to come? (Image courtesy of Dan Murphy, www.opost.com/dlm)

Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia.
Copyright (c) 1981-2008 The Computer Language Company Inc.
All rights reserved.

Additional Resources

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