My use of POP3 mail client can be traced back in 1995 since the organization I worked with was subscribed to a 33.6kbps dial-up Internet service. Back then, I was using the proprietary software provided by the Internet service provider so I can download e-mail to the computer. Then, there was Outlook Express, MS Outlook, Netscape Messenger, and Eudora that are far intuitive and flexible than the e-mail client provided to us by the ISP.

My Years with E-mail Clients

In my 14 years of online life, e-mail technology had changed a lot. In this era of fast broadband and unlimited connection, it was getting easier to access e-mail via web interface. Some of the younger generations don't even know that emails were once downloaded to your own computer for offline reading therefore saving the the subscribed limited time of Internet connection. On a personal note, here's my timeline in using email client:

• mid-1995 to mid-1996 - the organization I worked with was subscribing to a 30 hours a month Internet connection from an ISP based in Paranaque. We were only provided one ISP-based e-mail address. I forgot the name of that ISP.
• mid-1996 to mid-1998 - we changed our ISP to the Makati-based Virtual Asia. We were only provided one ISP-based e-mail address for our organization. We subscribed to a 40 hours a month connection service. Organization e-mail messages were downloaded using Outlook Express while we staff started to use the arising web-based free email services such as Hotmail, Yahoo, and then usa.net. I also have a Geocities e-mail that came with Geocities' free hosting service (unfortunately, Geocities service will be terminated on October 26, 2009).
• mid-1998 - our organization subscribed to a 56kbps dial-up but dedicated leased line provided by Netgazer, an ISP based in Tomas Morato, Quezon City. Our LAN was getting an unlimited Internet connection for the first time and everyone was getting happy about it. I bought a new 200MHz Toshiba Sattelite Pro, the fastest laptop at that time and was connected to the unlimited Internet connection through LAN.
• 1999 - I was hired by the now defunct Mabuhay Internet based in Quezon City. I did have the virtual world in my hands at that time. Except for web-based e-mail service provider, downloading e-mail client was already a habit.
• 2000 - I transferred to another work in Pasig City. The company I was working for subscribed to a dial-up Pacific Internet and was using Eudora as e-mail client.
• 2001 - I was working in Iloilo and personally subscribed to the reloadable plan of Camp Internet. It was a prepaid system but they provided their client one e-mail account with access to POP3 and SMTP.
• 2003 - I was backed in Manila jobless but was in high spirit to support a pioneering Japanese advertising agency based in Manila. I was able to subscribe to a 56kbps dial-up but unlimited connection by Tri-Isys and we were given three free e-mail accounts. Downloading email using Outlook Express was already a habit.
• 2004 - I was hired in a travel agency that subscribed to the pioneer in wireless Internet, the Meridian Telekoms which is using Sendfar Antenna to receive signal from its base station. There was no e-mail included in the package and POP3 and SMTP access didn't work. At that time, the travel agency was subscribing to three premium Edsamail e-mail accounts that are actually supporting POP3 and SMTP access using a dial-up Internet connection. But it simply didn't work with Meridian Telekoms. Travel agency staff accessed their premium Edsamail e-mail account through web browser.
• 2005-2006 - I transferred to another work and backed to subscribing unlimited Tri-Isys dial-up Internet connection. I subscribed the service for personal use though I was using it at work. The rest of the staff were using Internet prepaid cards. With Tri-Isys backed in service to me, back were the happy days of downloading e-mail messages to my computer using e-mail client software.
• 2007 - Our company subscribed to the canopy-type SmartBro so I terminated my subscription to Tri-Isys. With the new Internet connection with SmartBro, I found out that while I could download my e-mails using POP3, I couldn't send email using SMTP. Even my IMAP connection with Lycos UK (now defunct / was offering IMAP access in their free e-mail service) and Hotmail wouldn't work. So I started accessing via the web all of my email accounts and I totally forgot opening up my Outlook Express to download e-mail.
• April 2009 to present - My wife gave me a Sun Broadband Wireless as birthday present. After I had it configured in my computer, I remember to check if Sun Broadband Wireless is granting access to POP3 and SMTP protocols. So I popped out my Outlook Express which was never exercised for two years. The email client started to download thousands of e-mail messages - even those I already opened web-based. Even sending email using SMTP also worked without glitch. It was pure magic and I was very much relieved. I wouldn't want to go back into the days where I have to open more than 30 e-mail accounts (don't get me wrong! I technically maintain a lot of web sites!) in the web browser.
  Back in my work place, I tried SmartBro if it would already work with POP3 and SMTP, and it already did! Now, I'm back with my happy days downloading e-mail through Outlook Express (I'm using Mozilla Thunderbird too!).

Why E-mail Client?

1. Clients like MS Outlook, Outlook Express, or Mozilla Thunderbird are generally a little faster in retrieving messages because they reside in your computer.
2. E-mail messages and the e-mail files are kept inside your computer hard drive that you may be able to read at a later time even if Internet connection is not available. This is very useful especially for people on the go like me.
3. E-mail client is very useful when you maintain more than 30 e-mail account just like me (vanity and ISP-based combined). You only need one e-mail client to download all the messages from different e-mail accounts. Needless to say, you don't need to open up more than 30 tabs or windows of your favorite web browsers to check your e-mail messages across all accounts.
4. The comfort of having all emails in one centralized location, being able to flag messages, send 'read' receipts, as well as getting notified when new mail arrives.
5. Contacts are saved in the address book of the e-mail client that you may scan in your computer anytime even if you're not connected to the Internet.
6. Other features include Calendars, Tasks, etc that you may be able to access even if you're offline.

Web-Based E-mail

Some users prefer accessing their e-mail via the web for the following reasons:

1. All the information such as messages and contact details are virtually stored in the web and are safe even if your computer crashed.With e-mail clients like what we mentioned above, you won't be able to retrieve anything if your computer crashed. You'll be luckier though if your mail client does not delete the messages from the mail server so you may be able to download it again.
2. Free storage, unlike downloading all your e-mail into your computer wherein you should take responsibility of your own storage media.
3. Specialized features of the web-based e-mail such as built-in instant messenger and etc. that you may not be able to enjoy with standard "e-mail downloader."

Personally, I don't think that one is absolutely better than the other. This is just a matter of preference. Most younger generations are already happier checking their e-mail accounts based on the web, and I respected that. But those who would like to learn the tricks of the old school, this is what this tutorial is all about. So how do we get started? If you're presently subscribed to DSL services, it is most likely that an ISP-based e-mail account is automatically assigned to you and may be already working with your present e-mail client such as MS Outlook or Outlook Express. Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, Gmail, and even Google Apps e-mail can also be accessed via POP3 and SMTP protocol. You just need to its settings. In this tutorial, I'm using my Google Apps email here as an example.

A) Enable POP in Gmail (or in my case, my Google Apps email).

1. Sign in to Gmail.
2. Click Settings at the top of any Gmail page.
3. Forwarding and POP/IMAP.
   
   
4. Select Enable POP for all mail or Enable POP for mail that arrives from now on.
5. Choose the action you'd like your Gmail messages to take after they are accessed with POP.
6. Save Changes.

B) Set up your Outlook Express client to work with Gmail

Note: Google Apps users may follow the default instructions unless otherwise noted.

1. Make sure you already had enabled POP in your email account (the instruction above) before you proceed into this setup. Don't forget to click Save Changes when you're done.
2. Open Outlook or Outlook Express.
3. Click the Tools menu, and select Accounts...
4. Click Add, and then click Mail...
   
5. Enter your name in the Display name: field, and click Next.
   
6. 6. Click the radio button besides I already have an e-mail address that I'd like to use. Enter your full Gmail email address (yourusername@gmail.com) in the Email address: field, and click Next. In this particular screenshot where I am using my Google Apps email as an example, I enter my full e-mail address in this format: 'flores@gph.org.ph'
   
7. Enter pop.gmail.com in the Incoming mail (POP3, IMAP or HTTP) server: field. Enter smtp.gmail.com in the Outgoing mail (SMTP) server: field. Google Apps users should enter the server names provided below. This should not be confused with your own domain name.
   
8. Click Next.
9. Enter your full email address: Gmail user may enter yourusername@gmail.com. In my example where I am using Google Apps email, I entered my full email address flores@gph.org.ph in the Account name: field. Enter your email password in the Password: field, and click Next.
   
10. Click Finish.
11. Highlight pop.gmail.com under Account, and click Properties.
    
12. 12. Click the Advanced tab.
13. Fill in the following information:*
• Check the box next to This server requires a secure connection (SSL) under Outgoing Mail (SMTP).
• Enter 465 in the Outgoing mail (SMTP): field.
• Under Outgoing Mail (SMTP), check the box next to This server requires a secure connection (SSL).
• Under Incoming mail (POP3), check the box next to This server requires a secure connection (SSL). The port will change to 995.
• Change the Server Timeout from 1 minute to 5 minutes.
• You may check Leave a copy of the messages on server.



*The order of Outgoing and Incoming mail server fields varies by version. Make sure you enter the correct information in each field.

14. Return to the Servers tab, and check the box next to My server requires authentication.
    
15. Click the General tab. Under Mail Account, rename pop.gmail.com to another one that you would like to refer into this server. This is very useful especially if you have setup several e-mail accounts in your Outlook Express. In this example, I just renamed the default pop.gmail.com into gph.org.ph mail
    
16. Click Apply and then OK.

Congratulations! You're done configuring your client to send and retrieve Gmail and/or Google Apps messages.

If POP isn't working properly for you, please ensure that your settings are identical to those listed below. Even small differences may prevent Gmail's POP service from functioning properly.

The tutorial on how to configure your Outlook Express with Gmail and/or Google Apps e-mail that can be found above is following the information that was taken from Gmail Help.A summary is also available below.

E-Mail Accounts tab

Outgoing Server tab

Advanced tab

Important: This e-mail client settings are tested using SmartBro, Sun Wireless Broadband, and a variety of Internet prepaid dial-up access. So far, it worked 100% as expected. If this doesn't work with you, don't ask me. Call your Internet service provider.

Labels: How To

published by dodong flores @ 7:41:00 PM | Permalink