[Schwim3x6]

I'm stuck. I like Outlook Express, but alas it only works in Classic and doesn't always communicate well with IE 5.1 for OS X. Apple's mail.app falls way too short for me. What does everyone prefer to use as their primary email application in OS X? Is Eudora any good? Entourage? I want something that is as versatile as Outlook Express, but OS X native. Oh yeah, Outlook Express doesn't spell check and I hate that.

[pdjr]

Look in the OSX Software forum. It's been debated for ages now.

[malvolio]

I hate to say it, but M$ Entourage is my choice currently. It offers the most features (including spellchecking), is relatively stable and dependable, and (most important to me) can handle rules with multiple criteria, which has enabled me to eliminate 99.99% of all spam while still getting messages from the various special-interest groups I'm on.

[Mr Heliums]

Originally posted by malvolio:
<STRONG>I hate to say it, but M$ Entourage is my choice currently. It offers the most features (including spellchecking), is relatively stable and dependable, and (most important to me) can handle rules with multiple criteria, which has enabled me to eliminate 99.99% of all spam while still getting messages from the various special-interest groups I'm on.</STRONG>

I don't know why you hate to say it, but Entourage comes at a hell of a price for what it offers. Spellchecking is more intelligent in Mail (ie it uses the system-wide spell checking). Entourage is also a bit slow in X, and I hate the way it stores all your mail - and images - in a single, easily corruptible database. If you're willing to take that risk, fine.
For free tools, sponsored Eudora is the most powerful, Mail the easiest to use. As for paid programs,
Powermail is the easiest to use. There's a 30-day trial demo available.

[Schwim3x6]

I've just visited PowerMail's site and it looks very impressive....

I just downloaded the application for trial, and I noticed a few things I don't like.

1) The address book only contains name's and email addresses

2) No newsgroups

I do like:

1) The ability to drag and drop addresses from Outlook Express into the address book

2) Notification sounds

3) General layout

4) Spell check, although I haven't actually used it yet.

Just my thoughts.



[ 04-23-2002: Message edited by: Schwim3x6 ]

[dazzla]

I started using Entourage, but i've got into Mail again.

The reason? font smoothing.

I run XP on a laptop where the font smoothing is flawless, so coming to OS X and Entourage and it's lack of font smoothing is a bit disapointing.

Come to think of it, I find web browsers have really shoddy font smoothing as well, Chimera seems ot be the best but that's barely got off of the starting block.

I hope Microsoft get off of their arses and make Outlook Express 6 and Internet Explorer 6 for OS X sometime soon...

[zazou]

from my post in the OSX software forums:

As more and more Cocoa apps seem to be appearing I was starting to get worried that my email was destined to be stuck in an some carbonized pre X app.

If you are like me you maybe noticing that Cocoa apps seem to poses quality that Carbon apps just don't have. The prefs, the UI, etc. Carbon apps work fine, they just lack the refined atmosphere that surrounds Cocoa programs. I am not some Cocoa purist or anything, I just prefer them.

As for the Carbon email apps, many work fine: Eudora, Entourage or some other client. But all are the same old apps, just carbonized, with little or no modern thought in regard to design. Some actually seeming to make an effort to be less X like despite the massive resources sunk into it (Entourage and what I guess will befall Outlook Express X are a great example) Short of Mail.app nothing seemed to be worthy of the X promise... but Mail just was 'robust' enough for me.
It all became startlingly more clear recently as I frolicked through the recent Daylite beta, began actually enjoying IMing with Proteus and was flat out stunned at Chimera . Where was the mail? I could hope for OmniMail, but (and Rickster help me out) I guess it will never happen. And I think I am developing a Cocoa habit!

Well, there is a light.... I hope.

Out of something short of desperation (not really) I went to VersionTracker and scoured the database for every email client I could find. There I found SweetMail, which I had seen before, but ignored as another carbonized pre-X app. But as I made the obligatory homepage fly-by I saw the word: Cocoa. I was transported to a page in Kanji that I could not read, but a screenshot whet my appetite. Not knowing if y US English X could run the app, i downloaded the beta anyhow.

Now, as I said, I can't read Kanji, but with the atmosphere that is Cocoa I was able to futz around with it enough to be almost giddy with anticipation. I won't gush over it any further. It does need work... I am not sure about the icon styles. But if you are curious, have a look. I, for one hope it delivers.

SweetMail Cocoa

Excuse me, the Swiss Miss is calling.

Here it hte whole thread: SweetMail Cocoa

[Gene Jockey]

Originally posted by dazzla:
<STRONG>I started using Entourage, but i've got into Mail again.

The reason? font smoothing.

I run XP on a laptop where the font smoothing is flawless, so coming to OS X and Entourage and it's lack of font smoothing is a bit disapointing.

Come to think of it, I find web browsers have really shoddy font smoothing as well, Chimera seems ot be the best but that's barely got off of the starting block.

I hope Microsoft get off of their arses and make Outlook Express 6 and Internet Explorer 6 for OS X sometime soon...</STRONG>

Word 'round the campfire is that with 10.2, there will be the ability of Carbon programs (like Office) to use font-smoothing like Cocoa programs do. So Entourage, et al should look better after MS updates it to take advantage of the new system (and MS has said they will...)

Oh, and don't hold your breath on Outlook Express for OS X. MS has said that Apple's Mail.app seems to be the free mail client for OS X, and they're not going to make OE compete with it. IE 6 would be nice though...might start using it again.

[Schwim3x6]

I've read on other forums that Netscape 6.2.2 works in OS X and has a lot of the mail features I am looking for. I left Netscape when it introduced Navigator because I didn't like the UI, but I may check it out again. Anyone using Netscape?

[Justin W. Williams]

Mail.app rocks. It's lightweight and gets the job done.

[macvillage.net]

Mozilla Mail

[Captain Obvious]

I have both Entourage and the Beta Eudora. I have to say that Entourage has much better features but is not really for me. Its overkill for handling just my email and email addresses. I use the eudora a great deal more and its just as stable even in its beta stage.
You might want to give it a look and see how you like it. How complex are you email needs?

[VRL]

Mail.app and Eudora.

[Patrick_Bateman]

Entourage.

[angelmb]

Just say Mail (.app)