Most of us take e-mail attachments so much for granted, we don't realise that the medium was not initially designed to contain anything more than the text typed into the message. Sending documents, receiving bills and forwarding cat photos became possible when a standard for attachments was created, way back in 1992. It was called multipurpose internet mail extensions, or MIME, and is still at the heart of e-mail today. The very first attachment was sent by Nathaniel Borenstein, who created the standard with Ned Freed. Now Borenstein is at it again. He has helped create a new e-mail standard that allows for automatic translation of any e-mail message into the recipient's chosen language. Borenstein's day job is chief scientist at Mimecast, the global e-mail management company founded by South Africans Peter Bauer and Neil Murray. He is tasked with keeping e-mail security one step ahead of cybercriminals. "E-mail has been evolving for a long time," he told Business Times in an interv...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.