WebMail

The WebMail web interface is Information Technology Services' newest supported mail client.  WebMail, implemented in 2001, offers instant access to your e-mail whenever you have access to the Web.  To familiarize yourself with WebMail, point your browser to the following URL: http://webmail.albany.edu.  Enter your Unix userid and password in the “Userid” and “Password” fields, respectively.

Main Advantages:

• WebMail offers you instant access to your e-mail from anywhere in the world, as long as you have access to the Web.  No configuration steps are needed to access your e-mail.
• WebMail requires a low level of technical expertise.
• WebMail can be used in conjunction with other mail clients.  Even if you typically use a GUI e-mail client or the Unix-based Pine program, you can use WebMail any time you have access to the web.
• WebMail takes advantage of IMAP (Internet Mail Access Protocol).  Leaving messages on the IMAP server allows you to access those messages from other e-mail clients.
• WebMail’s look is highly customizable, based on your personal preferences.  The interface allows you to change screen colors, the number of messages that appear per page, as well as other attributes.
• WebMail allows you to open attachments quickly and easily, using the program that the attachment was designed for.  Unix mail client users often have to transfer file attachments to their PC (personal computer), in order to view the file in the manner for which it was intended.
• WebMail allows you to keep tabs on your mail quota every time you sign into the web interface.  The amount of total disk space your mail is currently using is displayed in the folder list.

Main Disadvantages:

• WebMail offers limited functionality, compared to the other e-mail clients that ITS supports.  Web-based mail clients do not offer the same level of sophistication as GUI- or Unix-based e-mail clients.
• WebMail does not support POP (Post Office Protocol).  Since messages cannot be downloaded to your PC, the space your messages and attachments consume counts against your allocated mail quota.
• WebMail only sends messages in plain text format.  Formatting features supported in GUI e-mail clients, such as font colors, bolding and italics are not supported in WebMail when composing messages.
• WebMail does not support formatting associated with multi-part messages.  If you receive a message that is part HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) and part plain text, the message will be viewable in plain text only.
• WebMail does not currently support importing address books from other e-mail clients.  GUI e-mail clients, on the other hand, allow you to import your address book easily.
• WebMail does not currently support the use of mail filters, which allows you to move incoming or outgoing mail to folders you specify automatically.
• WebMail does not allow you to send attachments over 2 Meg, or 2,048,000 bytes.

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