E-mail clients / software

Factual Questions
1

Sometime soon I’m going to get more serious about my e-mail management as the in and out flow is likely to rise considerably in the next few months. It’s a Home Office deal.

Been using M/S Outlook 2000 (as opposed to Outlook Express) for some time and although I’ve downloaded Euroda, I haven’t really explored it’s potential. I know it’s possible to export from Outlook to Euroda but I’d like to get this issue sorted now. I don’t know nuffin about any other options

What I like about Outlook 2000 is that it’s very easy to export to Excel, Word and a wide range of other formats. Also, I find it generally quite intuitive (i.e. it ain’t complicated) and I like the way it ties in fax, phone, notes and diary stuff.

However, it is Uncle Bill’s and so I’m naturally inclined to look elsewhere not only because it is M/S but also because M/S products are a target.

I know Euroda is popular but, frankly, I’m not sure exactly why ? - any views out there on the respective merits / functions of the systems and on how well M/S address their on going security issues ?

2

Do you mean Eudora rather than Euroda, LC?

3

Yes I do, Gary. The damn things sitting at the bottom of my screen and I still can’t spell it correctly. Doesn’t auger well. Thanks !

4

Eudora is a good client - better than Outlook, at any rate. It doesn’t integrate quite as nicely with MS office 'ware, but unless you’re really, really doing something particularly unusual it will integrate well enough for most things.

For a good example of why to drop outlook, have a look at this little link for another example of MS rather loose approach to security (and I do appreciate that it’s not an MS specific loophole).

5

I use Eudora 5.0 as my mail client. I like it because it gives me very easy access to my 5 POP E-mail accounts (the Personalities tab is nice). It’s easy to create message filters, labels, and signatures. I just really like it. Outlook is a good client too, and I could do probably almost everything in Outlook that I could do in Eudora, but I just like the Eudora interface. I just wish Eudora had a news reader in it. I do use Outlook for that.

Jman

6

I agree with Jman, though I haven’t had the honor of upgrading to 5.0 yet. The GUI is better than Outlook’s (which I use at work), and it doesn’t have that “hey, look, it’s virtual basic, let’s run it!” mentality that I’ve been told is what makes MS Outlook such a target for virii.

As to the GUI, which I realize I gave the stunningly detailed description of ‘better,’ it seems more intuitive. All the buttons and select lists you’ll need (such as different sigs, for instance) are all right there in front of you, as are all your different mailboxes (I have about 6 that I use, due to different POP3 accounts and mail from sources that I wish to keep distinct), and things are just laid out more neatly. YMMV, of course.

7

I’m another fan of Eudora – I’ve been using it for years and I stick by it. I’ve tried to use Outlook before (not out of choice, but when staying with inlaws etc) and I’ve found it backwards and simple things were unnecessarily complicated. Does it really have to be that difficult to find out the other person’s e-mail address? I have people who e-mail me from multiple addresses (work, home, etc.) and I like to know where the e-mail is coming from. I remember having to go through window after window just to find out what the return address was, because all it would show me in the display was their name. Yeah, it’s a minor irritation, but it’s the only example I can remember particularly well. Like others have said, it’s the ease of use of Eudora that appeals to me. It does most everything you’d want it to, the layout is obvious, it’s easy to switch between mailboxes and personalities and know exactly what you’re doing. I understand that many people’s chief complaint against Eudora is that it doesn’t do newsgroups. I rarely use them (and when I do, I use Agent) so this isn’t a problem for me.

8

While I think this might be better discussed in IMHO i’ll add my two cents worth.

Im something of an MS fan and I really dont see that any significant advantages of alternative programms have been detailed.

Here I use notes 4.6.7 , notes 5 , O2K and I have in the past used Eudora and composer in a number of places.

Outlook integrates seamlessly with other office applications. (as it should) . It really comes into its own when you are in an exchange environment.

O2k will have no problem accessing as many POP accounts as you want. With the new release of office you can also pick up HTTP mail from Outlook (currently allwoed only by OE)

Newsgroups ,filters, labels, and signatures dont present a problem.

I think that part of the reason for microsofts dominance is that Windows users get very easily comfortable with a particular way of working. You know what to expect in tools>>options. You know where to look to find stationary etc. Not nessecarily a good thing but it does make using the product more intuitive and requires less time to become familiar with.

Eudora is an excellent programme but how does it cope with complicated rules? Can Eudora allow totally independant profiles? (I dont know)

I’m going to advise Outlook with the following caveat.
It’s beefy , you will need a decently speced sytem to get the most out of it.

Integration with PDA’s is another well supported feature.
Try geeting you Palm Calender to talk to Eudora.

Your concerns re virii are well founded.
Popularity has set Outlook up as a target. I guess you will need to weigh your concern against the advantages that make the program so popular in the first place.

In the end I suspect its a matter of personal taste.
I dont mind updating virus strings and service packs every now and again.
I like the fact that the programme can do everything I want and expect from an email client.
I like the fact that I can set up folders withing my folder lists to open webpages inside outlook.
I like the fact that I have fully functioning word and excel features within Outlook windows.

So sue me I like being one of Uncle Bill’s bitches :slight_smile:

9

Gary – I do see your point about security but that article identifies the problem as Outlook having JS turned on by default (Eudora doesn’t) rather than a unique issue concerning Outlook itself. Still not convinced of Uncle Bill’s security – just going to have to ferret around a little more.

I do agree the GUI of Eudora is more appealing – somehow Outlook looks like it was designed in Germany (efficient but a trifle uninspiring).

Thanks for the critique, Damhna. I think that was a lot of what I wanted to hear because the integration issue is pretty important. I’m thinking at the moment about taking e-mail straight into a database or, maybe, spreadsheet so ‘seamless’ integration with Uncle Bill’s other babies is important.

Also impressed that someone would go public with their appreciation of MS – very controversial.

Nothing yet to convince me of Eudora’s superiority but the security thing is still bugging me.

Thanks to all for the imput !

10

I used to love Eudora but my computer choked on Eudora 5 and became extremely unstable. I was deeply pissed off that I couldn’t find any way to turn off spell check in the freeware version. The chiles suck IMO. If I intend to insult someone it’s on purpose OK? I don’t need someone’s cutesy idea of a value added feature. The chiles are easy to turn off though.

Currently I use Pegasus (check tucows). I’m not totally thrilled by some aspects but then I am totally convinced that I don’t have it set up completely right :wink: and that if I bought the manual I would be a happier camper. I find it doesn’t manage mail written on web based clients at all well and runs off the screen. Still in some way I begin to prefer it to Eudora. At least it gives me some credit for intelligence.