Webmail

Webmail, also called web-based email, is a way to send and receive email service using a regular web browser. Unlike older ways of email that need special email client software, webmail lets you check your messages right from the internet.

Many internet service providers include webmail when you sign up for their service. Some web hosting providers also offer webmail to people who use their services for websites.

The biggest benefit of webmail is that you can use it from anywhere with a web browser. This makes it very handy, just like using any other web application. You don’t need to be on a single desktop computer to read or send your messages.

History

Early implementations

The first webmail system was created in 1993 at CERN by Phillip Hallam-Baker to test how the web worked. Over the next few years, more webmail systems were made.

In Europe, three early webmail systems were created. Søren Vejrum made "WWW Mail" in Denmark in 1995. Luca Manunza created "WebMail" in Sardinia in 1995. Remy Wetzels developed another "WebMail" in the Netherlands in early 1995.

In the United States, Matt Mankins created "Webex" and released its code in 1995. Bill Fitler, working at Lotus cc:Mail, showed his webmail system publicly in January 1995. Lotus later released it as cc:Mail for the World Wide Web 1.0 in the fall of 1995.

By the end of 1995, Mankins' company, DotShop, began selling "Webex," which was renamed "EMUmail." It was sold to companies like UPS and Rackspace until it was bought by Accurev in 2001.

Hotmail and Four11's RocketMail launched in 1996 and became very popular right away.

Widespread deployment

As the 1990s went on and into the 2000s, more people could use webmail because:

• many Internet service providers (like EarthLink) and web hosting providers (like Verio) started including webmail in their services;
• many schools and big companies began offering webmail so people could check their email online;
• webmail service providers (like Hotmail and RocketMail) started offering free webmail to everyone in 1996 and became very popular.

Sometimes, companies made their own webmail systems, and sometimes they bought them from other companies. The webmail market kept growing even into the 2010s.

Rendering and compatibility

When people use both a webmail service and a desktop email program, they might have some problems. For example, if emails are removed from the server by the desktop program, they won’t appear in the webmail service. To avoid this, users can choose to keep emails on the server. Using a system called IMAP lets both the webmail and desktop programs show the same emails and updates.

Different webmail services like Gmail, Outlook.com, and Yahoo! Mail display emails in different ways. Because of this, companies that send emails often use simpler methods to make sure their messages look good on all devices. Some tools also help connect webmail services to programs on computers.

Privacy concerns

Main article: Email privacy

When you use webmail, your emails are kept on the service provider's servers. Sometimes, these services check what you write to show you ads. For example, Gmail and Yahoo! Mail let you choose not to do this.

If you use webmail without extra safety, someone else might see your messages if they are on the same Wi-Fi network. To keep your messages safe, you can use a special secure connection called HTTPS. Gmail has always used this secure connection, and Yahoo! Mail started offering it in 2013 and made it required in 2014.