SMTP is the Simple Mail Transport Protocol. Normally, simple is good. But when simple means "too open," we get spam. Spam has driven many individuals, companies, and organizations to start talking about either fixing SMTP, or replacing it altogther. Others are critical of any such initiative, and point to the large installed base of SMTP servers as the reason why SMTP can't be fixed. The critics are right.
However, there are many ways we communicate. Internet mail is just one of them. There are wireline phones, cell phones, instant messaging, wireless text messaging, chat rooms, web forms, weblogs, RSS, VoIP and more. I wouldn't rule out the possibility of even more communications media appearing in the near future.
It's possible that Internet email as we know it may be replaced by other forms of communication, thereby making SMTP irrelevant or possibly even obsolete. This is already happening in a few areas of communication. RSS is being recognized as a way for companies to communicate with their customers and avoid issues with spam filters and spam "noise." Web-based forums are replacing mailing lists. Instant messaging is replacing email for quick messages such as "can you meet me for lunch?"
There doesn't seem to be that much of a difference between instant messaging and email. Instant messages are shorter and more immediate. But it's possible that instant messages could become longer and less immediate. It would be relatively simple for AOL, MSN, or Yahoo to change their instant messaging systems to allow you to send a message to a recipient who is not currently available. Imagine that you log on with your instant messaging client and the client tells you you have messages. A big difference between this kind of asynchronous "instant" messaging and email is that extra control is built in to IM. The IM system verifies the sender and allows you to receive messages only from senders you know. This new form of email -- an adaptation of instant messaging -- could be called "p2p mail."
If spam becomes a problem, p2p mail could become a popular way for individuals to communicate with relatives, friends, and acquaintances.
I don't believe SMTP will ever be "fixed." However, I can imagine that new forms of communication, including some that have yet to be introduced, could make SMTP less popular, perhaps even irrelevant or obsolete. p2p mail is just one example of what could happen.
Posted by Doug Sauder at December 20, 2003 10:05 AM