Yahoo's unlimited storage still not enough

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Yesterday Yahoo announced they would begin offering Yahoo Mail users unlimited storage. The company will start with U.S. accounts and continue to roll out the upgrade to most of the world by the end of June. The only other major company to offer unlimited Web e-mail storage is AOL, starting in 2005 for paid members.

Despite the big upgrade, something that bugs me is that attachment sizes are still limited to 10MB for free accounts. Both MSN and Yahoo have premium e-mail services that double the mostly standard 10MB attachment size (at a price). This can be really handy for short video clips from digital cameras, or more than three high resolution photographs. Will this bother most users? Probably not, although as file sizes get bigger, storage will only matter if users are able to easily send media files.

Wikipedia has a pretty interesting comparison chart of storage and attachment limits broken down by service.

[dizzygill]

Email still needs file size limitations

Despite the growing prevalence of broadband, email systems still need to limit file sizes. The main reason is the way that file attachments affect the performance of email servers. Limiting file sizes for attachments helps to effectively deliver quality service and timely mail delivery. Even in large scale enterprise class email systems, not limiting attachment file sizes has extreme impacts on performance.

Even allowing unlimited storage can have an extreme negative impact to those systems if not done correctly.

That is why most email services still place a limitation on attachment file sizes, and it is a darn good reason.

[Jim Johnson]

way around email needing file size limits

It would be quite simple for an email system to recognize file attachments over their size limit and substitute a [optionally date limited] URL into storage external from the message. Receipients could than transfer the file via https either by clicking the link in the email, or pasting the link into their browser.

I can't think of a single instance where such large files weren't meant for storage at the destination separate from the email anyhow. This would save temporary duplication in the local email client database or on Yahoo's servers.

[dizzygill]

Email still needs file size limitations

Despite the growing prevalence of broadband, email systems still need to limit file sizes. The main reason is the way that file attachments affect the performance of email servers. Limiting file sizes for attachments helps to effectively deliver quality service and timely mail delivery. Even in large scale enterprise class email systems, not limiting attachment file sizes has extreme impacts on performance.

Even allowing unlimited storage can have an extreme negative impact to those systems if not done correctly.

That is why most email services still place a limitation on attachment file sizes, and it is a darn good reason.

[Jim Johnson]

way around email needing file size limits

It would be quite simple for an email system to recognize file attachments over their size limit and substitute a [optionally date limited] URL into storage external from the message. Receipients could than transfer the file via https either by clicking the link in the email, or pasting the link into their browser.

I can't think of a single instance where such large files weren't meant for storage at the destination separate from the email anyhow. This would save temporary duplication in the local email client database or on Yahoo's servers.

[cmpenchina]

Email Message Size and other attachment problems

10MB is somewhat small, but TotalCommander allows you to cut up a big file into small parts, to send as separate emails.

Other attachment problems:
many block .exe and other "dangerous" attachments. Hotmail blocks them and reports it to the receiver as part of the incoming message. GMail blocks them and reports to sender. Yahoo accepts them. AOL and AIM seem to accept (usually) them.

Yahoo and Hotmail turn you off (and you lose all attachments and messages) unless you sign on frequently (at least monthly for Hotmail, I think 90 days for Yahoo - but not sure)

GMail does not sort by size so may be hard to find attachments.
GMail is slow sending attachments, and does not do that in background, so you are stuck waiting.

[cmpenchina]

Email Message Size and other attachment problems

10MB is somewhat small, but TotalCommander allows you to cut up a big file into small parts, to send as separate emails.

Other attachment problems:
many block .exe and other "dangerous" attachments. Hotmail blocks them and reports it to the receiver as part of the incoming message. GMail blocks them and reports to sender. Yahoo accepts them. AOL and AIM seem to accept (usually) them.

Yahoo and Hotmail turn you off (and you lose all attachments and messages) unless you sign on frequently (at least monthly for Hotmail, I think 90 days for Yahoo - but not sure)

GMail does not sort by size so may be hard to find attachments.
GMail is slow sending attachments, and does not do that in background, so you are stuck waiting.

[hiqutipie]

Yahoo Photomail a.k.a. Yahoo Mail Quick Select

You guys have somehow missed something, Yahoo Mail Quick Select Tool a.k.a. Photomail, An amazing innovation to send, & manage, photos & attachments. It is the best photomailer on the net when it is working. You insert photos into the email, see what you've inserted & can insert & send upto 300 photos which you can then have sent right to your photos.With all the photos & attachments that people send these days & the lack of quality tools to do so, this is quite the tool. Lately, because it is a Beta it has been having problems with disappearing & then showing up at will, but when it works it is the Best. Regardless of the problems it has had people love it. So how come you Guys have missed
doing an article on this great mail tool ?
Thank You
BOB
Mississippi

[hiqutipie]

Yahoo Photomail a.k.a. Yahoo Mail Quick Select

You guys have somehow missed something, Yahoo Mail Quick Select Tool a.k.a. Photomail, An amazing innovation to send, & manage, photos & attachments. It is the best photomailer on the net when it is working. You insert photos into the email, see what you've inserted & can insert & send upto 300 photos which you can then have sent right to your photos.With all the photos & attachments that people send these days & the lack of quality tools to do so, this is quite the tool. Lately, because it is a Beta it has been having problems with disappearing & then showing up at will, but when it works it is the Best. Regardless of the problems it has had people love it. So how come you Guys have missed
doing an article on this great mail tool ?
Thank You
BOB
Mississippi

[vi2vi]

Please give me Yahoo's unlimited storage

[vi2vi]

Thanks you so much

Allowing unlimited email space does not make much sense.. There are lots of free file delivery and storage services on the web nowadays that are more suitable for file delivery operations than yahoo email. Utilizing file transfer services such as EmailLargeFile.com or U-sendit has its advantages. First, you don't clutter your yahoo inbox and the mailbox of your recipient. Next, they usually provide valuable options such as download notifications or delivery confirmations, password protection, etc.
They are usually accessible from everywhere in the world, and become especially useful when you need to deliver a file to an unsecured location such as a school lab, internet cafe, or somebody else's computer, in short, any place where you don't want to leave your yahoo password at. Instead, just type a short link in the browser and receive the file.