At Aurora University, electronic mail traffic is managed on large servers. Users employ an intermediary program called a user agent to create, read, and reply to electronic mail. There are two main types of user agents. The first type includes those programs that run directly on the server, one of the most popular of which is Pine. On the other hand, server-side mail agents do not provide advanced graphical features, do not handle attachments well, and since the mail itself is not stored on the PC, it cannot easily be loaded into other programs such as word processors.
Messenger is an example of the second type of user agent.
If you have e-mail software on your PC that supports POP3 mail, you can establish a connection to the server, download all your mail in a single batch, disconnect from the server, and read and respond to your messages at your own pace. Offers tools for sorting and storing e-mail messages in folders and mailboxes. Includes an address book and a search tool for locating particular saved messages by keyword. Provides filtering tools that can be used to automate the management of incoming e-mail You can, for example, automatically direct all incoming mail from a specific sender into a separate mailbox, or throw away messages from known purveyors of junk mail without ever having to read them. Offers easy file attachment and detachment, making it possible to send and receive formatted files such as word-processed documents, spreadsheet files, and graphical images along with your mail.