For those with access, email has revolutionized communications in a way no one had foreseen even a few years ago. In fact, email played a key role in the toppling of the Soviet dictatorship in Russia, as it once demonstrated that if you cannot control the people's access to information you will lose your grip on their minds.
Email stresses content over form as it is basically limited to plain text.
When there is no letterhead or fancy stationary, it's really the words that count. These are generally character-based programs with few bells or whistles, although Pine is pretty nice. POPmail clients are programs that run on your local personal computer or workstation and download the contents of your incoming mail queue from the server onto your computer. Most are graphical programs with user-friendly interfaces. All mail is retained in folders on your own computer.