A more recent development is the web-based mail service, such as HotMail, Yahoo Mail, and others. These display your inbox in a web page, and use web forms to allow you to send messages. They are often a “front-end” to a normal mail server, but because they are web-based, are usually simpler and easier to use than a traditional mail client. Web-mail is usually a free service, paid for by advertising banners displayed above your inbox (after all, you are a captive audience).

Web-mail can be used to centralise your email to a single mail address (the name of which you can often choose part of yourself); since only web protocols (HTTP/HTML) are used, your inbox is normally accessible from anywhere in the world. And of course, if you sign up to one of the free providers, this address stays with you if you move job, move location, or even graduate, which doesn't happen with your University or work-related email address.

So, with all these benefits, why aren't we all using web-mail rather than Simeon or Eudora? Well, there are a few drawbacks. From an administrators point of view, web mail is a bit of a nightmare. Accessing your inbox involves downloading graphics-intensive web pages, which use up precious bandwidth. From computers on campus, using a service in the US (such as HotMail) can actually cost the University money, since some transatlantic traffic incurs a charge. And there is no way that email can be backed up or recovered from these web services.

From a user's perspective, you are trusting your personal email to a third party, about whom you probably know very little. This could mean that your data and mail could be accessible to others, or even be sold as marketing data (check the privacy/usage policy for your service carefully!). These aspects may seem trivial, but as we become more aware of the value of our personal data and correspondence, they could become important issues for some individuals.