Internet Email Protocols: A Developer's Guide [With CDROM]

. . . a very challenging combination. I recommend this for everyone developing an e-mail application. Every standard that it covers is done in a thorough fashion. It is much more readable and comprehensible than the RFCs themselves, but no less accurate. The author obviously speaks from experience when writing about specific traps, and how the protocols are used in the real world.

This is one of those rare occasions where the booktitle is spot-on. As a developer, I needed some guidance into the world of Email protocols (without ploughing through these tedious RFC's and standards) and this book delivered. Clear, easy to read and to-the-point.Tip for the author: The book is time-sensitive, be sure to have a V2.0 somewhere next year.Tip for the publisher: How about a similar book on Web-protocols (http, ftp, nntp)?

This is an exceptional book. It doesn't bother with the details of DNS and TCP like other books on the subject, which are best left to their own separate references. My favorite thing about this book is that information from numerous different RFCs are in one place, along with comments clarifying what is in the RFCs. Even the errors are pointed out. This is a must have for anyone doing email development.

Programming and administering email applications can be a daunting task. There are so many standards and different approaches that it's difficult to understand the relationships between protocols, much less keep them straight.This book addresses that very problem by bringing these topics together into a single volume. It covers fields as mundane as the SMTP standard and other RFCs, everyday topics like mailing lists and email filtering, and recently popularized areas like authentication mechanisms and message security. With it's big picture view coupled with an attention to detail, this book is a must-read for anyone considering any kind of programming or administration related to email, whether they're just a novice or a grizzled programmer who's experienced it all.

Kevin Johnson's new book fills a longstanding gap in Internet texts -- a comprehensive pedagogical description of the various email protocols (RFC 822, MIME, SMTP, POP, IMAP) and technologies (filtering, mailing lists, security). I particularly liked the in-depth coverage of the IMAP protocol.Abundant examples appear throughout the book, along with practical observations and detailed explanations "why".This book is all you need if you want to understand the various email protocols, e.g. to analyze a transcript of a protocol negotiation session. If you're planning on writing software using these protocols, you'll need to read the standards documents for the precise "nuts and bolts" details; but if you read Kevin Johnson's book first, you'll have a much easier time at understanding the standards documents.