Programming Internet Email

Chapter 1. Electronic Mail on the Internet

In this chapter:

• Email Systems

• Internet Email Standards

• Tools of the Trade

• The Basic Internet Email System

The Internet’s “killer app” has been around for a while. It is not the World Wide Web, Push technologies, or Real Video. The application most often used on the Internet has been, and is likely to remain, electronic mail.

Electronic mail is an asynchronous messaging technology. The person that you are trying to reach does not have to be available that instant. She will receive your message the next time she checks her mail. This simple fact allows nearly every netizen to send a message to any other at any time. Electronic mail is used in businesses, government departments, universities, schools, homes, kiosks, and on mobile laptops, pagers, and personal digital assistants. While the Web distributes information, email keeps us in touch with one another.

This book is about the details of the Internet mail system—the protocols, formats, and APIs used to send and receive electronic mail. It is both a guide and a reference, suitable for teaching users and programmers how the Internet mail system works and for helping programmers integrate electronic mail functionality into their programs.