What If I Forwarded E-mails Between Two Accounts?

  • Thread starter cragar
  • Start date
In summary, the conversation discusses the possibility of an infinite e-mail loop when forwarding emails from one account to another. It is mentioned that modern software and mail servers usually prevent this from happening by recognizing and stopping the loop. The conversation also mentions the limited storage space on most e-mail servers and the measures in place to prevent a loop from occurring. It is further explained that this prevention is necessary due to the potential harm it can cause, particularly in terms of consuming time and resources. The conversation then shifts to discussing the addictive nature of technology, specifically Google, Twitter, and texting, and the potential dangers of this addiction.
  • #1
cragar
2,552
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this might be a dumb question but what if I had an 2 e-mail accounts
like A and B if I had my e-mails from b forwarded to A and then e-mails from
A forwarded to b , would this eventually go to infinity on the number of e-mails .
 
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  • #2
Usually not (assuming up to date software is running on the mail servers involved). Usually, stuff is added to the header during each 'loop' so that one of the servers (at some level < 20) recognizes that an e-mail loop is going on and stops it before it consumes too much disk space / bandwidth:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-mail_loop

Also, most e-mail servers only give you so much space (although the possibility of a reject e-mail loop exists if both your mail boxes were full, there are measures to prevent this from happening, also).

Yes, this is because sometime in the past, this consumed an awful lot of time / computing resources, and someone decided to nip it in the bud.
 
  • #3
And it's a good thing if the software nips it in the bud. An infinite e-mail forwarding loop would send a human into labrat hell, resulting in slow starvation as he mindlessly clicked on each e-mail, in spite of already knowing what each e-mail would say.

Seeking - How the brain hard-wires us to love Google, Twitter, and texting. And why that's dangerous.

It's amazing the stuff you find in google searches, isn't it? Well, off to my next search to see what incredibly trivial info I can find next.
 

1. What happens when I forward an email from one account to another?

When you forward an email from one account to another, a copy of the original email is sent to the new recipient. The original email will still remain in the first account, while the forwarded copy will be sent to the second account.

2. Will the forwarded email look the same as the original?

In most cases, yes. The forwarded email should look the same as the original, including any formatting, images, and attachments. However, if there are any compatibility issues between the two email accounts, the formatting may be slightly different.

3. Can I forward multiple emails at once?

Yes, most email providers allow you to select multiple emails and forward them all at once. This can save time if you need to forward a large number of emails from one account to another.

4. Is there a limit to how many times an email can be forwarded?

There is typically no limit to how many times an email can be forwarded. However, some email providers may have a limit on the size of attachments, so if the email has a large attachment, it may not be able to be forwarded multiple times.

5. Can I recall a forwarded email?

Unfortunately, once an email has been forwarded, you cannot recall it. The recipient will have already received a copy of the email in their inbox. If you need to make changes or updates to the email, it is best to send a new email rather than attempting to recall the forwarded one.

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