We did use POP3 for many years and it always worked well. The reason we
changed to MS-Exchange was because many professors wanted to access e-mail
from home and office, and also from any browser anywhere in the world.
While it is possible to use POP3 from multiple locations, the way I
understand it is that POP3 does not allow synchronization between the
various locations. Under POP3, if I compose and send an e-mail from home,
it appears in my "sent folder" at home, but not in my "sent folder" in the
office, and vice-versa. And if I receive an e-mail at both places and want
to delete it, I would have to delete it separately at both locations. We
switched to a Windows-XP Professional system using Outlook and MS-Exchange,
and it automatically keeps these synchronized no matter where you access
your e-mail. I might not have a perfect understanding of what POP3 can or
cannot do; but I do know that since our change my e-mail folders look
identical no matter where I access my e-mail, and our contact lists are
accessible everywhere also. This all was a wonderful improvement. Prior to
this it was too painful to check my office e-mail from home because I would
end up with some things at home and some things at the office. Now I can't
tell the difference where I am working (from what I see on the screen).
Does anyone know if MS-Exchange is the only e-mail system/protocol that
allows complete synchronization of e-mail folders and lists?
Michael Edmiston
Professor of Physics and Chemistry
Bluffton College, Bluffton, Ohio 45817