EmailDiscussions.com - View Single Post - It's happening - AOL jumps into free e-mail business

kaptitsky · 13 May 2005, 06:58 AM

Since AOL has used this model since the early 1990's, the probability of any security breach is unlikely. It just doesn't work the way you suggest it does with people having access to your inbox, only that they have access to their mail, which is theirs until the reciepient opens it.

AOL mail sees the message delivered when you open it, not when it is first dropped in your in-box. Heck, these are people who are fine with deleting anything they consider SPAM with no chance of you being notfied, and who throw away new mail in your inbox if you don't check it soon enough.

This is AOL mail, folks, on AOL servers. Don't like it? Don't use it. I mean, there are so many reasons why this new AIM mail sucks, from the footer to the lack of header control and on and on. But to be fair it sucks in the same way AOL mail sucks, the same as Netscape.net, and all the other mails that use the proprietary AOL mail server sucks.

GMail is a new paradigm for a new millienium. This is 1990s tech with a cleaned up face on it. It works, more or less -- they are prolly the biggest mail system on earth, with the most traffic. But it ain't cutting edge.

If you feel this feature is an unacceptable breach of your privacy, use another mail provider.

That's probably a good idea anyway, come to think of it.

But saying "it could break and go bad" misses the point that AOL has years of experience with it and has made it work as well as they can.

(AOL is not CIS, though they bought them. The AOL mail only dates to the 90s, not the 1980s. Sorry for any confusion.)

(anyone got the IMAP server name yet? Anyone?)

13 May 2005, 06:58 AM	#24
kaptitsky The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 2,186	Since AOL has used this model since the early 1990's, the probability of any security breach is unlikely. It just doesn't work the way you suggest it does with people having access to your inbox, only that they have access to their mail, which is theirs until the reciepient opens it. AOL mail sees the message delivered when you open it, not when it is first dropped in your in-box. Heck, these are people who are fine with deleting anything they consider SPAM with no chance of you being notfied, and who throw away new mail in your inbox if you don't check it soon enough. This is AOL mail, folks, on AOL servers. Don't like it? Don't use it. I mean, there are so many reasons why this new AIM mail sucks, from the footer to the lack of header control and on and on. But to be fair it sucks in the same way AOL mail sucks, the same as Netscape.net, and all the other mails that use the proprietary AOL mail server sucks. GMail is a new paradigm for a new millienium. This is 1990s tech with a cleaned up face on it. It works, more or less -- they are prolly the biggest mail system on earth, with the most traffic. But it ain't cutting edge. If you feel this feature is an unacceptable breach of your privacy, use another mail provider. That's probably a good idea anyway, come to think of it. But saying "it could break and go bad" misses the point that AOL has years of experience with it and has made it work as well as they can. (AOL is not CIS, though they bought them. The AOL mail only dates to the 90s, not the 1980s. Sorry for any confusion.) (anyone got the IMAP server name yet? Anyone?) Last edited by kaptitsky : 13 May 2005 at 07:48 AM.