Apple Mail users can easily get their webmail, read and send it using httpmail (freeware), MacFreePOPs (freeware) or Mail Forward (shareware), three apps that fool webmail services into allowing access for Mail.app.

With the WebMail extension, Thunderbird users can play too.

It offers support for Hotmail, Yahoo!, Lycos, Mail.com and more, although you can now read your AOL mail over IMAP and get POP access to Gmail directly.

Installation is a two-part process, involving the master WebMail extension and further service-specific extensions:

You might need to adjust your port settings and fiddle around a bit to avoid the infamous “negative vibes” error.

WebMail is freeware and available from the extension’s web site .

NB: I only tested this with Hotmail, where it works fine.thunderbird, extensions, webmail, hotmail, yahoo, gmail, email, not apple mail

A lot of people have been waiting for this.

A new version (1.49) of httpmail, a plugin that allows you collect and your Hotmail in Mail.app, has been released which is a universal binary.

This means that you no longer have to use work-arounds like running Mail under Rosetta if you are own an Intel Mac and want to access a Hotmail account.

httpmail is freeware and is available from the project’s SourceForge page .hotmail, msn, microsoft, webmail, mail.app, apple mail, plugins, universal binary

Jussar Interactive has created an AppleScript that will retrieve messages from a Hotmail account into Mail.app.

It does this using the open source MrPostman software to drag down the mail.

Unlike some other utilities for retrieving email from web-based services, Mail to Fetch promises to work with Intel Macs.

The script is available from MacUpdate and installation instructions from the developer’s web site .

I haven’t tested this. I’d be glad to hear if it works.

UPDATE: The author has updated this script to fix a significant problem that could occur after reoot. (28 June 2006)hotmail, webmail, pop, mail.app, apple mail, applescript, plugins, Microsoft, MSN

Michael McCracken has posted a follow up clarification about his nifty little WebKit browser for Gmail.

He wants to correct some misconceptions, not least:

I didn’t say anything about disliking or replacing Apple Mail. Mail is my primary mail client, and there’s plenty about it that I like. I just use both, since I like GMail better for viewing mailing lists.

He also says that he has no great plans to develop the app further, although he gives his blessing to anyone else who wants to and lets him know.

And he takes pain to point out that the credit belongs to the Apple Web Kit Development team.

(On a pedantic note, I see from comparing his original post with this one, that the browser is built with the WebKit demo from the Web Kit development team. I am still confused about this, despite John Gruber’s post on the differences and Daniel Jalkut’s patient further explanation ).gmail, webkit, web kit, browser, email, web 2.0, webmail, mail.app, apple mail

Mail Forward is a “webmail translator” that allows you to use Mail.app to read your AOL, Gmail, Hotmail, MSN, and Yahoo webmail. It can also forward email from standard POP accounts.

It works by accessing your web mail or POP mailbox and forwarding each piece of mail through your SMTP mail server. You can manage up to 20 different accounts this way.

Mail checks can be scheduled and AppleScript support offers further options for tweaking the forwarding.

A new beta released today contains modifications to work with Hotmail service changes. It will also display a warning message if an SMTP server name that is known to be unsuitable for forwarding mail is entered in the Preferences dialog.

SMTP servers that send a multiline connection greeting are now supported.

MacFreePOPs does the same thing. It is free but harder to set up.

Mail Forward comes as a demo that will work for 30 days, after which registration will cost USD 19.95. You can get it from the developer’s web site .webmail, AOL, Gmail, Hotmail, MSN, Yahoo, mail.app, apple mail, plugins

As Brady J. Frey points out in a comment on another post, RoundCube Webmail has recently gone beta, with a release that contains many more features than the version Hawk Wings reviewed late last year.

RoundCube is a feature-rich webmail client that beats the pants of SquirrelMail. It also has a clean and pleasing Mail.app-like look:

It actually uses more Thunderbird-like icons, but since the designers of the Thunderbird icons took their inspiration from Mail.app, the “Mail.app-like” claim works out in the end.

RoundCube is open source and available from the RoundCube web site .

Alex King gave RoundCube a glowing thumbs up on his site yesterday.roundcube, webmail, mail.app, apple mail, thunderbird, IMAP, email

If three of the most powerful people in the world of web-based email — Paul Buchheit (Google), Kevin Doerr (Microsoft) and Ethan Diamond (Yahoo!) — came to dinner, what would they talk about?

Gmail, of course!

Wall Street Journal columnist Lee Gomes invited the three webmail chiefs to dinner and writes up what happened.