Hotmail runs over 10,000 servers world-wide processing billions of email transactions everyday. All of this is mananged by less than 100 system administrators.

Microsoft MSN‘s product unit manager Phil Smoot speaks to ACM Queue about how it all works.

It’s an interesting glimpse behind the scenes of a web-based email service.

Tags: email, hotmail, microsoft, MSN, web-based email

MacFreePOPs is a stand-alone app which allows you to download your emails from web-based mail services like Yahoo, hotmail and Gmail. It is a version of the FreePops app for Mac OS X 10.2 and above.

Running the app launches a freepopsd server which translates local POP3 requests into HTTP actions that web-based services can understand. A screenshot of the app’s preferences shows off a number of its features:

MacFreePOPs currently offers support for Yahoo!, SquirrelMail, hotmail, Gmail, AOL, lycos.co.uk and others. Key features include the ability to check for mail automatically, and integration into the Dock and Menubar. It is freeware (donations welcome!) and is available from the developer’s website.

UPDATE: Check out MailForward as well, which works with fewer services and costs money but is easier to set up. Yahoo, Gmail. Hotmail, MSN, AOL, lycos, POP proxy, download emails, email, mail.app, Apple Mail, Dock, menubar, freepopsd

Tags: AOL, Apple Mail, Dock, download emails, email, freepopsd, Gmail. Hotmail, lycos, mail.app, menubar, MSN, POP proxy, Yahoo