…or does anybody make a simple e-mail client anymore?
I’m reasonably savvy on how technology works, but not on its trends and culture. I was perfectly content with an old PC; simple e-mail and browser.
Until it died. Could have probably fixed it (I think it’s the motherboard), but it’s not worth the trouble. Got a good deal on a new desktop.[sup]*[/sup]
The new desktop has Windows 8 on it. I’m curious, wanted to check it out; and I figured I could find a way to make it do all the things I wanted.
However, it seems to not just want access to online sources of info, but to require online accounts to let me do some things. When I even try to run the built-in e-mail client (do we even call things clients anymore?) it prompts for a Microsoft account and won’t let me just configure and read from my existing e-mail accounts without it.
And that may be a good thing. I’m planning to get a smart phone this spring. I can see the value in having access to my full e-mail inbox and address book from multiple devices. I’m just not sure I want it all to be tied in to Microsoft. I’m sure they’re not the only cross-device, synchronized e-mail/calendar/productivity/whatever application in the world. And if I have to adopt and adapt to something new, it might as well be something I like.
Yes, I still want to have a desktop PC.
TL, DR: Educate me on the modern tech landscape. What applications do you all use that really provide something of value, where do you find them, and whose opinions do you trust?
Edit to add, I don’t download all that crap individually though, go to: https://ninite.com/ and check the boxes for stuff you want and use that to install, it will do it all at once. On that list i recommend Chrome, Firefox, Thunderbird, VLC, all the “Runtimes”, GIMP, Libreoffice (NOT openoffice - and regular microsoft office is a demo). Avast or Avira (but not both), Malwarebytes, Keepass 2, Dropbox, 7-zip, Notepad++
I use Seamonkey as the simplest client possible ( ignoring those weird old things like Pine ), I see it has a Windows version.
Setting it up to use POP was easy, which is becoming uncommon as clients seem to prefer IMAP ( which Seamonkey can do of course ).
Nothing has been able to beat it as the right app for checking my dozens of email accounts and keeping them like I want them. Thunderbird seemed flummoxed by the multiple accounts, and both TB and OE had this annoying habit of opening everything up in new windows. YUCK!
I use Windows Live, which is the bastard offspring of Outlook Express, and is virtually identical to it. I resisted it, but the Dope told me it would be fine, and it is.
I appreciate all the replies so far, but I’m curious about things beyond just e-mail. What sort of applications are you all using these days that are well-designed and actually useful, and where do you find them?
^^^^ Likewise for this Mac user. It’s more difficult for us (Eudora being a PowerPC appliction when last updated) but if and when I get dragged kicking & screaming into a version of the OS that doesn’t have Rosetta, I’ll have virtual machines that still do.