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Google enables POP checking for some Gmail users
by David Chartier Dec 9th 2006 at 2:03PM
Google's darling Gmail has just launched a new feature they're slowly rolling out to users: POP checking of other accounts. If you're one of the lucky few, under the Accounts tab in Gmail's settings, you can now add up to 5 other accounts (if they have POP3 access enabled) for Gmail to pull email from.Of course, you've always been able to forward email from most other accounts to Gmail, but the significance here is that by enabling Gmail to check your other accounts, it can grab virtually all the mail you've ever received in those accounts (if you haven't taken it all off the server with a desktop client, that is - not just the messages *after* you turned on forwarding.
While this is certainly a great new feature, I must again echo the requests of many by asking: why on earth Google hasn't joined the rest of us in the 21st century by adding IMAP access? Considering the plethora of devices consumers are using (desktops, public terminals, phones and PDAs) and the multiple ways they have already offered for accessing Gmail (web, WAP, mobile client, etc.). Is IMAP that much more difficult or expensive to implement? I realize their intention is to keep you doing email the Gmail way - labels, web ads and all - but I still say its time to grant usable access to those who need the power of desktop software and tools for their emailing needs.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
waghdude said 3:16PM on 12-09-2006
I guess it's not enough that they offer FREE pop access to your email accounts nor do they append advertisements at the end of your messages. Both of these practices, by the way, do nothing to increase visits to their website. I don't think they're are as motivated by increased site visits as you're suggesting.
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Huw said 3:22PM on 12-09-2006
Some of us prefer POP to IMAP, you know.
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MJ said 4:40PM on 12-09-2006
I am very happy to hear this, it will allow me to check our home isp accounts from work and on the road, it is one of the few features that was missing and making me stick with my Yahoo! Mail Plus a/c.
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Mike C. said 5:07PM on 12-09-2006
@Huw
It's not a one-or-the-other proposition, you know. Both could and should be available.
I'd also like to see Google do something with LDAP.
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Huw said 5:34PM on 12-09-2006
@Mike C:
I agree. I was responding to the implication in the post: "moving to IMAP access"
I would've said "adding" or "enabling"
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murph said 8:05PM on 12-09-2006
IMAP support would be a welcome change. GMail POP does not play well with Pocket Outlook on Windows Mobile. all sent items end up in your inbox. old, old problem.
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Ed Finkler said 7:24PM on 12-09-2006
Well, IMAP4 *is* a much heavier, more complex protocol than POP3. It introduces a lot more network traffic than POP3, and IMAP clients cause far more server load than POP clients. I love IMAP and use it exclusively, but I'm not surprised Google isn't anxious to take that dive, especially since Gmail is entirely proprietary -- it may require them to essentially write a full-featured, very robust IMAP server from scratch, which is no small undertaking.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Message_Access_Protocol#Disadvantages_of_IMAP
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Stefano Sessa said 4:23AM on 12-10-2006
Awesome. This enables many people to be a lot more mobile without actually "being mobile" in the hardware sense.
Good move by Google. Soon they will be in our fridges delivering foodstuffs.
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