Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the purpose of Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME)?
What is the purpose of Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME)?
When did the term 'electronic mail' start being used with its modern meaning?
When did the term 'electronic mail' start being used with its modern meaning?
What is the purpose of Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)?
What is the purpose of Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)?
What is the purpose of Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3)?
What is the purpose of Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3)?
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What is the purpose of Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)?
What is the purpose of Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)?
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What is Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI)?
What is Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI)?
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What is the main issue with email spam?
What is the main issue with email spam?
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What is email spoofing?
What is email spoofing?
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What is the purpose of web bugs in email?
What is the purpose of web bugs in email?
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Study Notes
Overview of Electronic Mail (Email)
- Email is a widely used communication medium that transmits and receives messages using electronic devices.
- Email operates across computer networks, primarily the Internet, and also local area networks.
- Originally an ASCII text-only communications medium, Internet email was extended by Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) to carry text in other character sets and multimedia content attachments.
- The term electronic mail has been in use with its modern meaning since 1975, and variations of the shorter E-mail have been in use since 1979.
- Computer-based messaging between users of the same system became possible after the advent of time-sharing in the early 1960s.
- The Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) protocol was implemented on the ARPANET in 1983.
- Email messages consist of two sections, "header" and "body".
- Email clients may allow hiding read emails from the inbox so the user can focus on the unread.
- Many current email users do not run MTA, MDA or MUA programs themselves, but use a web-based email platform, such as Gmail or Yahoo! Mail.
- The Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) is a mail access protocol used by a client application to read messages from the mail server.
- The Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) provides features to manage a mailbox from multiple devices.
- Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) is used by Microsoft Outlook to communicate to Microsoft Exchange Server.The Uses, Issues, and Internationalization of Email
Uses:
- Email is widely accepted by businesses, governments, and NGOs, with 83% of U.S. knowledge workers feeling email is critical to their success and productivity at work.
- It is used for email marketing via "opt-in" to send special sales offerings and new product information.
- Email is accessed via personal computers, smartphones, and all types of computers.
- Alerts can be sent to smartphones or other devices to notify users of new messages.
- As of 2011, there were approximately 1.4 billion email users worldwide and 50 billion non-spam emails sent daily.
Issues:
- Email messages may have size limitations due to email clients, servers, and ISPs, which can lead to confusion for senders.
- The ubiquity of email has led to concerns of "information overload" for recipients and can lead to increased stress and decreased satisfaction with work.
- Email spam is unsolicited bulk email, which can threaten the usefulness of email as a practical tool.
- A range of malicious email types exist, including email scams, phishing, email bombardment, and email worms.
- Email spoofing occurs when the email message header is designed to make the message appear to come from a known or trusted source.
- Email bombing is the intentional sending of large volumes of messages to a target address, which can render it unusable and cause the mail server to crash.
- Email privacy can be compromised if security precautions are not taken.
Internationalization:
- Originally, Internet email was completely ASCII text-based, but MIME now allows body content text and some header content text in international character sets.
- The original SMTP mail service provides limited mechanisms for tracking a transmitted message, and none for verifying that it has been delivered or read.
- Many ISPs now deliberately disable non-delivery reports (NDRs) and delivery receipts due to the activities of spammers.
- In the absence of standard methods, a range of systems based around the use of web bugs have been developed.
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Description
Test your knowledge about electronic mail (email) with this informative quiz. From its origins and development to its uses, issues, and internationalization, this quiz covers it all. Discover interesting facts about email, such as its widespread use, different protocols, and how it can be accessed from various devices. Learn about the challenges that email poses, such as spam and malicious emails, and how to protect your privacy. Challenge yourself and see how much you know about this essential communication tool.
