POP3 Email Accounts

[Wayne Orwig]

I use POP3 on multiple devices. I wouldn't say that I 'like' it, but it works. I have all of my devices set to leave a copy on the server. I never delete anything from the server.
I have Outlook on my main machine archive everything to the local hard disk. So on that machine, I have a copy of everything that I have ever sent or received. That is the way I want it. If I ever change ISPs, I don't want to lose my past email.
I use Exchange at work. With Exchange, email stays on the server AND it resides on my PC, so again, I can keep copies of any email or such in a local archive.
Whenever I have tried to use IMAP, I am unable to get a copy of the email to my local PC so that I can archive it. It leaves everything on the server. That my be fine for mobile devices, but I can't archive anything. So I stick with POP3.
If anyone knows how to get Outlook to download email for archiving using IMAP, let me know.

 

[Russ]

Wayne --

I don't use Outlook for email, so can't comment on that, but I use Thunderbird for all my email accounts -- both POP & IMAP. In both cases, it downloads the messages to my machine so I can save them there. I don't save all of my email, but the stuff that I do save, I want to be able to access whenever I want. I'm semi-rural, and sometimes my internet access is erratic, so I like local access to stuff I want. I do understand about "The Cloud" and all that, but if something is important to me, I want it where I control it. Everybody seems to assume that the internet is always there, but sometimes it isn't.

Regards,
Russ

 

[PervySage]

May I request you to not post images in your replies? It eats up bandwidth for the rest of us, and real estate of the forum.

Okay.
Thanks for being polite about it and not a troll BTW.

 

[ArnoldC]

Russ, wow, Thunderbird! :clap:

The POP3 protocol, that stands for Post Office Protocol exactly does that. When a package (email) is sent to a recipient, it is stored at the Post Office (server) and then forwarded (left the Post Office) to the recipient (you received the package, gone from Post Office). If you have a device with little storage, i.e., 8GB iPhone for example, that is filled with Music, Photos, Videos, then it will have less room to store your email.

In Outlook, it requires the creation of a .PST file. My .PST file is usually large and archived every year.

If you were using IMAP on the other hand, it's like VHS rental (maybe a bad analogy), the server always has your email and you "rent" it for say 2 weeks, where it will be cached on your machine. And then you later move on, get the new titles (emails) and cache it again.

In Outlook, it requires the creation of a relatively small file, a .OST file.

Mail clients may have different approaches to email retrieval, i.e., Thunderbird makes a permanent copy. Some POP3 clients have "Leave mail on the server" option.

If you usually search for really old mail, a caching-only mail client, i.e., Mail App on Windows RT/8, then you won't find anything older than what you have in cache. It is a show-stopped for some.

The new updates to the Mail App allowed this, according to ZDNet-

"The Search capability is smarter, looking for mail in the local store first and then automatically searching for mail on the server."

 

[guitar1969]

Again, not every mail provider offers Imap at this time whether it is superior or not. The issue is MS limiting users in their choices when they should be all about flexibility. That is why Android is so popular.

 

[J515OP]

Again, not every mail provider offers Imap at this time whether it is superior or not. The issue is MS limiting users in their choices when they should be all about flexibility. That is why Android is so popular.

This isn't always true. Tried Flash on a new Android device? Flash is dying but not dead and Google made the choice to drop support. MS is apparently making a similar choice regarding POP3. I'm not saying either one of them is right or wrong but sometimes it takes actions like this by the big boys to push everybody forward, even if it is kicking and screaming at times

 

[guitar1969]

This isn't always true. Tried Flash on a new Android device? Flash is dying but not dead and Google made the choice to drop support. MS is apparently making a similar choice regarding POP3. I'm not saying either one of them is right or wrong but sometimes it takes actions like this by the big boys to push everybody forward, even if it is kicking and screaming at times

Not true - just use Photon flash browser on android for flash. It reconfirms the point I was making about how android gives you choices. If they don't offer something Google let's a 3ed party developer offer it. I am in no way saying I like android better (quite the opposite) but I do like that I can use different core apps if I want. MS and Apple are very controlling in apps and try to dictate what the customer wants/needs. How hard would it be for MS to support pop3 - windows phone even has it. So much for cross device consistency.

 

[bosamar]

How hard would it be for MS to support pop3 - windows phone even has it. So much for cross device consistency.

I used POP3 on my WinPhone until I bought an RT. Then because the RT didn't support POP I switched to IMAP. The transition was very easy and nearly painless. Of course I've got my own domain that supports both.

 

[J515OP]

Not true - just use Photon flash browser on android for flash. It reconfirms the point I was making about how android gives you choices. If they don't offer something Google let's a 3ed party developer offer it. I am in no way saying I like android better (quite the opposite) but I do like that I can use different core apps if I want. MS and Apple are very controlling in apps and try to dictate what the customer wants/needs. How hard would it be for MS to support pop3 - windows phone even has it. So much for cross device consistency.

Well now you are just comparing apples to oranges Google does not support Flash and you can't get it in their store. If a third party makes a browser that supports it and you side load Flash or it is Flash is rendered on a different server (you are now giving up your privacy) that is a different scenario. Likewise you can use a third party app or go to the email website directly to access your pop3 account. You can also use Outlook.com as an intermediary to retrieve pop3 mail and this has been covered. Are these work arounds to direct first party email app pop3 support? Sure they are but so are the Flash work around solutions in Android and the multiple iOS work arounds that come with jail breaking. How about Google dropping EAS support unless you pay? Is that not a limitation to its users? How about companies that refuse to implement an IMAP option, offering pop3 only accounts instead? Aren't they also to blame?

Pop3 is considered basic and essential by some but so is Flash support which Apple basically nixed form the beginning and Google has now also chosen to pass on as well. Others don't think you need either and they are just old fashioned. I don't know why MS isn't directly supporting pop3 but maybe moving on from a dwindling format is reason enough for them just like Apple/Google and Flash. Just because Google is supporting pop3 now doesn't mean they will continue to support it. Will you still consider it that Android gives you choices if they drop pop3 like they did Flash, EAS and the CalDav API? If that isn't ok with you then access your email via IE, the Outlook.com work around or a third party app. Each major mobile platform has these limitations and we generally either accept them or work around them. Getting the first party change is usually the most difficult of the three options: accept, work around or force a change.

JP