Introduction to e-mail - A novice approach

Email, also sometimes written as e-mail, is simply the shortened form of electronic mail, a protocol for receiving, sending, and storing electronic messages. Email has gained popularity with the spread of the Internet. In many cases, email has become the preferred method of communication.






Though there is some degree of uncertainty as to when email was invented, the father of the modern version is generally regarded to be American Ray Tomlinson. Before Tomlinson, messages could be sent between users, but only when they were connected to the same computer. Even once computers were networked, messages could not be targeted to a particular individual. Tomlinson devised a way to address email to certain users, and thus was credited for one of the most important communication inventions in the 20th century.


Email services are specifically designed using the World Wide Web as its primary interface. These sites have become very popular, as they usually offer individuals a chance to open an email account at no charge.




Some of the very popular and free account providers are:


1. Hotmail - www.hotmail.com


2. Gmail - www.gmail.com