Webmail
As Webmail be services in the World Wide Web called, which the management of e-mails with a web browser allow. An address book and file directory are integrated as standard. More and more webmail applications offer groupware functionalities. Many Internet service providers also make webmail available, with freemail providers mostly financed through advertising.
Advantages and disadvantages
The low requirements are advantageous, as e-mails are available from any computer with an Internet connection and web browser. In addition, the last status of the processing of the mailbox (e.g. read, moved, deleted e-mails, address book) is the same everywhere, regardless of whether you access your e-mail from home, in the office or on the go. The risk of data loss can generally be assessed as lower than on the private computer, provided that it can be assumed that the webmail provider pursues a more professional data backup strategy than a private user.
The disadvantage is that the web interfaces sometimes have fewer functions than conventional e-mail clients . There is no access to the mailbox if the network connection is interrupted, especially when processing mails on the move.
Server software
For the provision of webmail services, programs such as
- Atmail ( PHP , Ajax , Apache2 ),
- Citadel / UX (including groupware functionality, -GPL),
- Internet Messaging Program (IMP) Horde - Groupware ( PHP , -GPL),
- SquirrelMail (PHP, -GPL),
- Roundcube (PHP, Ajax -GPL),
- Microsoft Exchange Server (commercial; Outlook on the web )