Abandoned Digital Realm: An Account of the Electronic Mail System
In the early 1970s, the precursor to the Internet, ARPANET, introduced a program called SNDMSG for handling mail between networked computers. This marked the beginning of electronic mail, a concept that would revolutionize communication.
One of the pioneers in this digital revolution was Ray Tomlinson, the developer of SNDMSG, who is often credited with inventing modern email in 1971. Around the same time, the University of Illinois had PLATO IV, an early system offering mail among its features.
As more people gained access to the Internet, specialized mail providers started to suffer. In 1978, CompuServe, a company that originally offered email services primarily for commercial customers, began to expand its services to a wider audience.
Meanwhile, the term "email" might not have been coined by CompuServe in 1981, but they rebranded their mail service as EMAIL that year. Another significant event in 1981 was IBM's introduction of its email system to the global public.
In the mid-1980s, Quantum Link, a company that later became America Online (AOL), dominated the market. AOL pioneered instant messaging and distributed free trial disks, attracting a massive user base. In 1995, AOL had around three million active users, and its signature "You've got mail!" audio clip, voiced by Elwood Edwards, became a cultural icon.
The 1980s also saw an increase in Local Area Networks (LANs) with their own servers, offering local mail services. Companies like CompuServe and The Source, which did not have direct access to the Internet, enticed people to sign up for services by providing gateways to other mail systems and, eventually, the Internet.
By the early 20th century, commercial users were wanting something better for sending notes, leading to the development of dedicated teletype lines. This eventually evolved into the introduction of fax machines, which were more accessible to the average person compared to Telex.
In the political sphere, Jimmy Carter was the first known presidential candidate to use email in 1976. Queen Elizabeth II sent the first email by a head of state in the same year. Astronauts on the Space Shuttle (STS-43 in 1991) were the first to send email from space.
Today, modern email primarily relies on SMTP, IMAP, and POP protocols, which date back to the early 1980s but were mostly part of ARPANET until the Internet opened up. These protocols have since adapted to TCP/IP and DNS, and have provisions for validating senders and encrypting messages.
The evolution of email has been a fascinating journey, from its humble beginnings to its widespread use today. As we continue to innovate and connect, who knows what the future holds for this essential tool of communication.
