whalemeister
Favorite Answer
They are all to do with emails
SMTP is Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
POP is Post Office Protocol
and IMAP is Internet Message Access Protocol
I really don't have the time to type out a full explanation of each of these (would take about 1 hour!!) so I've included some links that will explain it better than I could anyway ;)
I really hope this answers you question
~®
PC-&-GuY
Hey bro,
Short for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, a protocol for sending e-mail messages between servers. Most e-mail systems that send mail over the Internet use SMTP to send messages from one server to another; the messages can then be retrieved with an e-mail client using either POP or IMAP. In addition, SMTP is generally used to send messages from a mail client to a mail server. This is why you need to specify both the POP or IMAP server and the SMTP server when you configure your e-mail application.
Pop, with this type of email account you only have one folder, the Inbox folder. When you open your mailbox, new mail is moved from the host server and saved on your computer. If you want to be able to see your old mail messages, you have to go back to the computer where you last opened your mail.
With this type of account you do not have to stay logged on to the Internet. You can log on when you want to receive and send new messages. Once your new messages have been downloaded to your computer you can log off to read them. This option is good when you connect with your modem to DAS and are charged for your connection or you have an older computer.
Imap, using this protocol, all your mail stays on the server in multiple folders, some of which you have created. This enables you to connect to any computer and see all your mail and mail folders. In general, IMAP is great if you have a dedicated connection to the Internet or you like to check your mail from various locations.
That's my knowledge about the email server. Hope that might help you,
Good Luck,
?
Did that very thing as my college project; implementing those I mean. SMTP is the protocol for sending out email to a mailbox server, POP3 and IMAP are sort of competing types of mail retrieval protocol; but POP3 is vastly simpler that took only few pages of RFC compare to the feature rich IMAP; POP3 would need you to download emails incoming off the server and arrange it by yourself while IMAP let you organize it directly on the server.
Anonymous
There Email Servers - POP is incoming, SMTP is outgoing, IMAP is both ways with special features. Google SMTP, POP and IMAP for a full page description.
tech_guy_towt
SMTP - Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
Usually the outgoing mail server, think of it as a mailbox
POP - (don't know what the acronym stands for)
Incoming mail usually
IMAP
Another mail protocol better explained by wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Message_Access_Protocol