ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the services available on the Internet. It examines one of the most widely used services: electronic mail (email). Email was originally designed to allow a pair of individuals to communicate via computer. The first email software provided only a basic facility: it allowed a person using one computer to type a message and send it across the Internet. Later, the person to whom the mail addressed could access the message. Present email systems provide services that permit complex communication and interaction. To receive email, a user must have a mailbox and an email address. A user’s mailbox consists of a storage area that holds email messages sent to the user until the user accesses them. Most email servers allow the owner to create and use a mailing list. Each mailing list has a name, and contains one or more email addresses. Many organizations define mailing lists that correspond to subgroups of the organization.
