4 ms·

This person registered their email address 20 years ago, well before gmail. At the time, the options were (A) Pay for an email address. (B) Run your own email

This person registered their email address 20 years ago, well before gmail. At the time, the options were (A) Pay for an email address. (B) Run your own email server. (C) Use the email provided by your ISP

nine_k 9y ago
Today, the options are the same. Just running your own server got a lot easier, and you can buy stock Gmail or Outlook Web clients under your own domain.
- pdonis 9y ago
  > Today, the options are the same. No, today there is another one: (D) Pay a hosting company to host your own domain and its email. This is kind of like running your own server, but without having to run the machine yourself, have an Internet connection that supports that (most ISPs forbid hosting services on your publicly visible IP address in their terms of service), etc.
  - gregmac 9y ago
    (E) Pay your registrar to forward your e-mail to another account. I used to run my own server, but I got tired of constantly dealing with spam filtering, RBLs, etc. I just forward several accounts across a handful of domains to my gmail account, and I have gmail setup to send 'from' my own domain (with validation). I could switch to another service (or my own server) and other than me, no one would notice a thing.
    - plasticchris 9y ago
      > I have gmail setup to send 'from' my own domain (with validation). How do you set this up? I have several domains pointing to my gmail but can't send from them... Edit, should have just googled, https://support.google.com/mail/answer/22370?hl=en https://support.google.com/mail/answer/22370?hl=en Edit 2: this really: https://blog.alexlenail.me/i-want-to-send-emails-from-my-google-domains-email-through-gmail-992bb3eae4c9 https://blog.alexlenail.me/i-want-to-send-emails-from-my-goo...
- uiri 9y ago
  Running your own server is a lot harder today. You need to set up SPF and DKIM, at minimum. You also need to hope that you don't get erroneously blackholed by Google (GMail), Yahoo, or Microsoft (Hotmail/Outlook.com). I would consider Gmail to fall underneath option A rather than option B. If Outlook Web is Microsoft's GSuite competition then it is not running your own server either.
  - dredmorbius 9y ago
    It's a bit of a wash, honestly. You don't have to deal with Sendmail cf files, and there are secue options other than qmail. Though yes, it's rather the PITA.
donatj 9y ago
Yahoo may have had free email and this time. I'm not sure the exact timing but after I got real internet instead of just dial up email I switched to Yahoo from Juno right around that time.
gregmac 9y ago
(D) Use Hotmail (1996) or Yahoo mail (1997) or one of several other similar services (E) Use university or organization e-mail account [1] (F) Buy your own domain and set up mail forwarding to another account or service [2] [1] Okay, not really much better than your ISP account, but it's a different dynamic and still slightly better, though not everyone would have this option. [2] I can't actually find a positive reference to mail forwarding being an option around the exact time-frame, but I know I had done this for some people around the early 2000's at least. Though it's a variant of (A) it's still distinct because it's a domain, not just an account.
- Doctor_Fegg 9y ago
  F was a standard option with British ISPs, at least, in 1996.

nine_k 9y ago

Today, the options are the same. Just running your own server got a lot easier, and you can buy stock Gmail or Outlook Web clients under your own domain.

pdonis 9y ago
> Today, the options are the same. No, today there is another one: (D) Pay a hosting company to host your own domain and its email. This is kind of like running your own server, but without having to run the machine yourself, have an Internet connection that supports that (most ISPs forbid hosting services on your publicly visible IP address in their terms of service), etc.
- gregmac 9y ago
  (E) Pay your registrar to forward your e-mail to another account. I used to run my own server, but I got tired of constantly dealing with spam filtering, RBLs, etc. I just forward several accounts across a handful of domains to my gmail account, and I have gmail setup to send 'from' my own domain (with validation). I could switch to another service (or my own server) and other than me, no one would notice a thing.
  - plasticchris 9y ago
    > I have gmail setup to send 'from' my own domain (with validation). How do you set this up? I have several domains pointing to my gmail but can't send from them... Edit, should have just googled, https://support.google.com/mail/answer/22370?hl=en https://support.google.com/mail/answer/22370?hl=en Edit 2: this really: https://blog.alexlenail.me/i-want-to-send-emails-from-my-google-domains-email-through-gmail-992bb3eae4c9 https://blog.alexlenail.me/i-want-to-send-emails-from-my-goo...
uiri 9y ago
Running your own server is a lot harder today. You need to set up SPF and DKIM, at minimum. You also need to hope that you don't get erroneously blackholed by Google (GMail), Yahoo, or Microsoft (Hotmail/Outlook.com). I would consider Gmail to fall underneath option A rather than option B. If Outlook Web is Microsoft's GSuite competition then it is not running your own server either.
- dredmorbius 9y ago
  It's a bit of a wash, honestly. You don't have to deal with Sendmail cf files, and there are secue options other than qmail. Though yes, it's rather the PITA.

donatj 9y ago

Yahoo may have had free email and this time. I'm not sure the exact timing but after I got real internet instead of just dial up email I switched to Yahoo from Juno right around that time.

gregmac 9y ago

(D) Use Hotmail (1996) or Yahoo mail (1997) or one of several other similar services (E) Use university or organization e-mail account [1] (F) Buy your own domain and set up mail forwarding to another account or service [2] [1] Okay, not really much better than your ISP account, but it's a different dynamic and still slightly better, though not everyone would have this option. [2] I can't actually find a positive reference to mail forwarding being an option around the exact time-frame, but I know I had done this for some people around the early 2000's at least. Though it's a variant of (A) it's still distinct because it's a domain, not just an account.

Doctor_Fegg 9y ago
F was a standard option with British ISPs, at least, in 1996.