Incwazuba

Incwazuba (noma Umbikombani) eyaziwa ngesiNgisi ngokuthi i-email kuyindlela yokuthumelelana imilayezo phakathi kwabantu ngokusebenzisa izisebenziso zombani ("electronic devices"). Incwazubai yadalwa ngenhloso yokuthi ibe uhlobo lwencwadi yeposi ethunyelwa manje ifike manje. Ekuhambeni kwesikhathi incwazuba yase isiphenduka umdeko wokuxhumana nokubathumela imininingwane kanye  nemilayezo. Manje, incwazuba isiyisisekelo seningi lezinhlangano nemisebenzi emhlabeni, futhi uneqhaza elibalulekile kwezezifundo, ezokungcwebeleka, nezinye zezigaba zempilo nenhlalo yabantu eningini lamazwe omhlaba jikelele.

Incwazuba ligidinga kuwo wonke amaxhoxho wesiCikizi, ikakhulukazi kuxhakaxholo, kanye nakumaxhoxho wendawo. Namuhla izinhlelo zencwazuba zisekelwe kunongo lokugcina ebese uyathumela. Iziphakeli zencwazuba ziyamukela, zithumele, zifufuthe (deliver), futhi zigcine imiyalezo. Abasebenzisi nezicikizi zabo akudingekile ukuba babekuxhakaxholo ngesikhathi esisodwa; badinga nje ukuxhuma, imvaka kwisiphakeli sencwadi (mail) noma kwisinanazimo sencwadi yolwebu (webmail interface) ukuze bathumele noma bamukele imiyalezo noma bayithulule.

Ngokwendabuko kwakuyinsiza yokuxhumana ngesiqakaqo-sodwa se-ASCII, incwazuba loxhakaxholo lwajijwa ngeziJiji zeNcwadi yoXhakaxholo eNhlosoningi (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) ukuze sithwale umbhalo wamanye amaqoqo ezimpawu kanye nezinamekwa zesiqikili sezinzisaningi. Incwazuba loMhlabawonke, olusemthethweni Kodwa olungamukelwanga ndawo zonke, lwasabalalisa Emazweni wonke amakheli wencwazuba ngokusebenzisa i-UTF-8.

 Ukuchazwa kwebizo 
Ibizo elithi incwazuba

 uMlando 
Ukuthumela imiyalezo ngesicikizi okwenzeka phakathi kwabasebenzisi bohlelo olufanayo kwaba yinto eyenzeka emva kokufika kokucobelela-ngesikhathi ekuqaleni kweminyaka ye-1960, okwagqanyiswa lapho kugunundwa isimiso sokucobelelana ngesikhathi saseNyuvesi yobuChwepheshe yase-Massachusetts ngowe-1965. Iningi labathuthukisi bokuqala beziCikiznkulu  neziCikizana bathuthukisa izinhlelo zezincwazuba ezifanayo, kodwa ezihlengezelayo. Ngowe-1971uxhoxho lwencwazuba lokuqala lwe-ARPANET lwathunyelwa, kanjalo lwangenisa uhlelo lwamazwi ekheli oseludumile olunophawu '@' olubonisa uhlelo lwekheli lolusebenzisayo. Emva kochungechunge lwama-RFCs, kwalungiswa imithetho yokuthumela imiyalezo yencwazuba ngeGumelo lokuDlulisa uHele (FTP).

Izinhlelo zeNcwadi yamazuba zaqala ukuvela ngokushesha. Izinkampani i-IBM, CompuServe ne-Xerox zazisebenzisa izinhlelo zazo zencwazuba eminyakeni ye-1970; i-CompuServe yona yayidayisa ezinye zezinhlelo zayo kusuka ngowe-1978 neyalandelwa i-IBM ne-Xerox ngowe-1981.

IGumelo lokuDlulisa iNcwazuba elilula (SMTP) lagunundwa ngowe-1983 yi-ARPANET. Izinhlelo zencwazuba ze-LAN zavela maphakathi neminyaka ye-1980.