Quixys used to provide email through POP, but as from September 2009, 'IMAP' has been fully installed for all e-mail solutions (hosting & email packages). Here is an explanation...
IMAP vs. POP3 Email Accounts
Basically, IMAP and POP are different
protocols for handling email. Each has its own
unique function and purpose. Protocol allows
IMAP to deal with email in a different way than
POP does. POP is basically a flow through
entity - it only passes on the information to you through your email program. IMAP on the other hand,
is interactive with your email software.
POP
POP stands for “Post Office Protocol”. It works
simply : when the POP email server receives
email it stores it on the server until you to
request it. By simply opening your email program
(e.g. Outlook) you request email actions from the
server by pressing the “Send” or “Receive”
button. The email software in essence asks the
server if there is any mail waiting. If there
is, it tells the server to send it to you.
When the POP server receives your request for
email, it sends the entire message to your email
program. Once you receive it, the message
is no longer stored on the server unless you
specifically tell your email software to keep a copy.
IMAP
IMAP stands for “Internet Message Access
Protocol”. It allows you to download emails
from the server to your email program the same
as POP does. However, the difference is that
when you request your email from the server it
sends a copy rather than sending the entire
email. It keeps a copy of the email on the
server while simultaneously keeping a copy on
your computer.
You may be wondering what happens if you have
certain messages on your local computer and IMAP
has different messages on the IMAP mail server?
IMAP has built in intelligence to handle this
task. When you connect the IMAP mail server with
your local computer, it senses that there are
differences between the local computer and the
mail server. It then synchronizes both so that
they provide the same information.
For example, if you delete messages, compose
more and have sent others, this information will
be synchronised with the IMAP server so that the
IMAP server will delete the copies of the
messages that were deleted. By the time you log
off the IMAP server you have two complete copies
of all of the email tasks performed: one on the
IMAP server and one on your local computer.