I'm trying to help out with my mom's account. I see instructions on Comcast's site for POP, but not for IMAP. I find this hard to believe...

GtDS

Don't know that BellSouth/AT&T ever has either. I sorta haven't expected most ISPs to encourage us to store our email on their servers. That's a cost to them, is it not?

I'm sure it costs money, but I expect lots of companies to do things for me that cost them money!

Edit: Sorry - not trying to argue with you. But POP-only (which I've just confirmed) seems awfully archaic. This means that someone with both a desktop and laptop machine would see two different sets of content in their mailboxes. Yuck!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/07/2008 08:01AM by Greg the dogsitter.

I think we all agree on this, but it has 'always' been that way for most all ISPs...unless you have a business account with them (usually).

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"But POP-only (which I've just confirmed) seems awfully archaic"

Not trying to sound flip, but does this surprise you? It's Comcast. I imagine most cable internet providers are the same.

My suggestion would be to switch her to Gmail (which will be easier all around for her); I put my mom on my .Mac (er, MobileMe) account some time ago and it makes it a lot easier for her to check mail & etc. away from home. (Big plus is Gmail will likely be much, much better at filtering out spam & etc.)

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Comcast PERMITS it though.... so set her up with a Google account via Mail.app.

Also... why would two machines see different things in their box? Simply leave the POP mail on the server for a day, and make sure that both machines POP several times a day.

Or better yet, leave it on the server for a week. I have had as many as 3 machines all coordinated just fine via the above method.

Consider yourself fortunate to have POP. My brother's ISP in (whatever the phone company is in Denver) outsources their email to hotmail, so he's stuck with HTTPmail.

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Embarassing myself on the Internet since 1978.

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Zoidberg
... My suggestion would be to switch her to Gmail (which will be easier all around for her); I put my mom on my .Mac (er, MobileMe) account some time ago and it makes it a lot easier for her to check mail & etc. away from home. (Big plus is Gmail will likely be much, much better at filtering out spam & etc.)

I second this suggestion. After you set up Gmail for IMAP and Mail.app, it's seamless and reliable.

In regards to spam, I heard that each time a Gmail user flags a piece of spam, it actually helps all other users not see that spam again. Something about how they leverage their network or proprietary technology in a way that an individual ISP can't. In other words, messages in Gmail flagged as spam aren't merely filtered.

Quote
deckeda

I second this suggestion. After you set up Gmail for IMAP and Mail.app, it's seamless and reliable.

You DO NOT "second" it. You THIRD'd IT!!!

I switched my Mom to Gmail when they finally got internet access. She wanted to use Verizon's email address and I strongly protested. I switched her and my dad to a domain name that I set up with email hosted by Google. Even if google goes under, I can move the email to another host and she keeps the same address.

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Nothing to see here, move along.

I usually beat my mother with a wooden spoon or a hair brush when she talks back.

I get to say "How do YOU like it? Huh? Damn insolent brat! I can't wait until you have kids
of your own! Well guess what? I'm that kid! HAHAHAHA! Now get back into the basement!"

I don't let mine have internet access. Yours should be thankful.

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Two wrongs don't make a right, but, three rights make a left.

The "Comcast doesn't do IMAP" I understand. But what about the "OMG"?

Did anyone but you assume Comcast is in the advanced email business?

If only it were possible to have other options, other email account choices, with more features, preferably free ones, with IMAP, and nearly unlimited storage. Sigh. No such thing exists, unfortunately. I guess Comcast is the only email provider there is. You're out of luck. Oh well!

Quote
Greg the dogsitter
I'm sure it costs money, but I expect lots of companies to do things for me that cost them money!

Edit: Sorry - not trying to argue with you. But POP-only (which I've just confirmed) seems awfully archaic. This means that someone with both a desktop and laptop machine would see two different sets of content in their mailboxes. Yuck!

Why wouldn't you want this? I'm not familiar with Imap at all (nor are vast majority of people). What's wrong with having email on two computers? Wouldn't you miss mail if your desktop is checking mail from home and your laptop is missing that already checked email on the road? What's the magic?

Quote
vision63

Quote
Greg the dogsitter
I'm sure it costs money, but I expect lots of companies to do things for me that cost them money!

Edit: Sorry - not trying to argue with you. But POP-only (which I've just confirmed) seems awfully archaic. This means that someone with both a desktop and laptop machine would see two different sets of content in their mailboxes. Yuck!

Why wouldn't you want this? I'm not familiar with Imap at all (nor are vast majority of people). What's wrong with having email on two computers? Wouldn't you miss mail if your desktop is checking mail from home and your laptop is missing that already checked email on the road? What's the magic?

With IMAP, your mail would be location-independent. In other words, if you get messages at work, you'll also see the same messages at home. If you delete a message while at work, you'll see that message disappear when you log on at home, too.

Quote
guitarist
The "Comcast doesn't do IMAP" I understand. But what about the "OMG"?

Did anyone but you assume Comcast is in the advanced email business?

If only it were possible to have other options, other email account choices, with more features, preferably free ones, with IMAP, and nearly unlimited storage. Sigh. No such thing exists, unfortunately. I guess Comcast is the only email provider there is. You're out of luck. Oh well!

An ISP without IMAP is like:
Starbucks without straws
An email app without the ability to reply
A web browser that wont let you print

That said, I think it's a good thing Comcast doesn't offer IMAP. They have a hard enough time keeping their POP system running, I wouldn't want their interns having to divide their time between keeping POP running and figuring out IMAP.

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Quote
Greg the dogsitter

Quote
vision63

Quote
Greg the dogsitter
I'm sure it costs money, but I expect lots of companies to do things for me that cost them money!

Edit: Sorry - not trying to argue with you. But POP-only (which I've just confirmed) seems awfully archaic. This means that someone with both a desktop and laptop machine would see two different sets of content in their mailboxes. Yuck!

Why wouldn't you want this? I'm not familiar with Imap at all (nor are vast majority of people). What's wrong with having email on two computers? Wouldn't you miss mail if your desktop is checking mail from home and your laptop is missing that already checked email on the road? What's the magic?

With IMAP, your mail would be location-independent. In other words, if you get messages at work, you'll also see the same messages at home. If you delete a message while at work, you'll see that message disappear when you log on at home, too.

Oh OK, so you reduce your cleanup chores. I'll have to google. Thanks for the explanation.