How to offer my website users web based email?

[edward301]

To help encourage users to visit my site frequently I would like to offer webbased email to them for free.

Is this possible by just using php scripts? running off a standard webhost with php/mysql etc

if it is where can i find such scripts?

if it isnt possible with just scripts what else do i need?

[Timotheos]

Check out hotscripts...
[hotscripts.com...]

You might be overwhelmed with choices.

[edward301]

There not quite right they all seem to require me to enter a server ip address. I need a php script that acts as the server sending and reciving emails as well as offering a webbased gui.

[bcolflesh]

Horde
[horde.org...]

SquirrelMail
[squirrelmail.org...]

NeoMail
[neocodesolutions.com...]

Bear in mind - providing "free" email is an easy way to get your server blacklisted and your account revoked.

[digitalv]

Am I the only person who realizes that there are already enough free email services out there?

With GMail about to be released, and services like Hotmail and Yahoo mail already out why would anyone need yours?

[WhosAWhata]

I agree
the only reason out there to offer free e-mail is to have some sort of a parody domain

[e-mail]

otherwise you just can't compete

[jatar_k]

We use Postfix and Sqirrelmail for our web based mail.

We just dumped horde because it is terrible.

We also finally dumped a site that offered a free email account to everyone who signed up. It was an absolute nightmare. The amount of spam was ridiculous and no one even used the service really.

I would have to suggest you don't do this edward301, the management is horrendous.

[edward301]

Have u noticed the number of hotmail, yahoo email addresses that are similar to "[e-mail]"? I hope to offer people an alternative (another alternative) to that kind of email address. Im want to offer this feature as an addition to the rest of the website. Free email will reward a dedicated user base that frequently visit my site.

i appreciate everyones feed back and i may just decide to offer an email service to my forum moderators