Page "Apple Open Collaboration Environment" Paragraph 7

AOCE would normally store a user's e-mail on their computer, as opposed to a server.

This not only allowed the user to read their mail offline, but also removed the need for a single machine with huge storage space.

Small networks could be set up simply by installing the standard " client " software ; the machines would discover each other on AppleTalk and communicate directly.

AOCE understood that users were not always connected to the network, so outbound mail was cached on the sender's machine until both the sender and recipient were online.

Even on a LAN this would be valuable, as many people turn off their computers at night and the mail would have to wait until the next morning for delivery.