Poll: What do you use to read/send email?

joelpt · 21 Apr 2002, 12:07 PM

Just a fun little poll, to see what everyone's using in terms of email client (or webmail interface).

FWIW, I've recently migrated to using Mozilla's MailNews component ... that's one bad *** email client ;)

Jeremy Howard · 21 Apr 2002, 12:41 PM

Good poll Joel--nice set of choices.

It'll be interesting to see what people say.

The official popularity stats from our logs are web interface first, OE second. But of course the web interface is available without installing extra software, and OE comes with every copy of Windows, so this doesn't necessarily reflect pro-active choices of email connoisseurs.

PS: "Connoisseurs" sure is hard to spell!

**ReuvenNY** · 21 Apr 2002, 12:47 PM

Why don't you add Becky! 2 to your poll, seems to be a popular email client.

**munchkin** · 21 Apr 2002, 12:50 PM

I mainly use the web interface.

joelpt · 21 Apr 2002, 01:03 PM

Jeremy - the stats you mention are interesting, however, having the web interface at the #1 spot is probably to be expected, since even people who use email clients probably use the web interface for those extra fastmail features (e.g. bounce) at times. (At least I do .. ~25% of my email activity takes place on the web side)

Reuven - I'm afraid I can't change the poll at this point; forum restrictions

I hadn't even heard of Becky! 2, either.

**Gankaku** · 21 Apr 2002, 11:38 PM

I use Outlook to access all my email, but feel like I should be in the "freak" selection, because I'm the ONLY one that picked Outlook. How's come?

Am I missing something?

I don't use fastmail's interface for mail because I work exclusively in Outlook, although I do login to the fastmail interface to tinker, or test. What interests me is that so many people are using OE. Is it because you don't have Outlook? Or are there other reasons I'm missing that you prefer OE for email??

Lisa

**psalzer** · 22 Apr 2002, 02:27 AM

There could be two reasons why more people are using OE. It's free and people have it on their home computers. Outlook is part of an expensive package. It also seems to be a resource hog. At my job, they decided to get serious and move everyone to Outlook a while back. A lot of the computer that were running OE all right couldn't handle it. They had to spend a lot on upgrades to get everyone onto it. Another reason is it seems to be considered a better IMAP client than Outlook.

I don't think it's surprising that most people are using the web interface. People tend to use e-mail providers to get access from anywhere. You need a provider for that when you can't set up a client for your personal account on each computer that you use. For myself, it's the features in the web interface and also, just the fact that since I use the web from work, which is about half the time I'm on, I just prefer using the same interface pretty much all the time.

esTester · 22 Apr 2002, 03:28 AM

I have used lots of email programs, but I mostly use Outlook Express XP. I never really like Outlook Express before, but it grew on me a while ago and I think its pretty good.

- esTester

zaaz777 · 22 Apr 2002, 03:44 AM

I have tried most of the popular e-mail clients,I find Outlook 2002 XP very good and most suitable for my needs,a close second is Outlook Express 6

22 Apr 2002, 04:03 AM

For some reason, I've had a lot of trouble sending messages via OE

so I don't bother using it. Fastmail is, by far, the most reliable so I now use it as my primary source for sending messages.

PeterS · 22 Apr 2002, 04:07 AM

It's a pity you can't select multiple. Like for me my primary use is via web. But when home, it's Mozilla (well trying to use it).

I was hoping Mozilla v1 rc1 would download messages but wont for XP. It does work for my win98se system, but I don't take that away with me.

Anyway, it will be a good poll. Look forward to the results.

lux · 22 Apr 2002, 05:45 AM

I use web interface. And I use OUtlook Express when uploading emails from other accounts/back up to Fastmail.fm...

**ReuvenNY** · 22 Apr 2002, 05:57 AM

In course of my 7 - 8 years of using the Internet and email, I believe I have used or tried pretty much every email client/system. My first was AOL email, which we all agree is an embarrassment for a leading ISP as AOL. But very quickly I abandoned them for an independent ISP, and used Netscape’s email client, from the time before they called it “Messenger”. That worked well for me, until I got a second email address, and realized that having more then one POP account means leaving Netscape behind.
I have no sympathy for Microsoft, not because of the quality of their product line, but rather because of their arrogance and being bullies. So Outlook Express and Outlook were never my favorites. Not to mention their security issues. I tried Pegasus, Eudora, TheBat!, Poco, Calypso, Allegro, FoxMail - you name it - I tried it. I finally settled on Becky!.
Becky! Is not free, but it is a simple and elegant multi POP/IMAP client, which is probably one of the better IMAP supporting clients (not as good as Mulberry, but not as archaic either).
The new Mozilla/Netscape email client seems to be pretty good, but I still prefer Becky. Becky also has a very active user mailing list, and many FastMail users have account here as well. As a matter of fact, it was Jannik Lindquist, an active Becky mailing list participant, thru whom I heard of FastMail.fm for the first time.
If there is a good email client that supports IMAP that I missed, please let us all know about it.

Reuven

**Gankaku** · 22 Apr 2002, 10:52 AM

OK psalzer, I get a better picture after reading your post....I know OE is free, but I just always felt like it was a "lite" package. I've always used Outlook at work, and had to have it on my machine at home. I do support too; didn't know that Outlook really hogged resources on older machines where OE worked fine. That's interesting.

Also I noticed that after my original post the users that prefer Outlook has increased. :-) I'm not so alone after all!

Ann_jr · 22 Apr 2002, 12:26 PM

I voted for Eudora, since that's the client that I use constantly for most email, but I don't use it for IMAP access to FastMail. I haven't even tried, based on the negative reports in the forum.

For IMAP, I use Netscape 4.75 (Windows). I haven't figured out how to synchronize, but I'm happy just using it as another way of looking at what's on the server. (With a dialup connection that rarely goes about 24K, it's faster loading than using the web interface.)

View Poll Results: How do you like to access your email primarily?
I use the fastmail.fm web interface primarily.	79	35.27%
MS Outlook is the best!	15	6.70%
I prefer Outlook Express.	52	23.21%
Pegasus Email is the king of clients.	3	1.34%
Eudora is my client of choice.	14	6.25%
The Bat! -- simple yet powerful.	5	2.23%
Mulberry owns all other email clients.	13	5.80%
Pine: what more could you want?	6	2.68%
The Mozilla/Netscape client rocks!	16	7.14%
I'm a freak! (choice unlisted)	21	9.38%
Voters: 224. You may not vote on this poll

21 Apr 2002, 11:38 PM	#6
Gankaku Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Virginia, USA Posts: 3,265	Mine is Outlook I use Outlook to access all my email, but feel like I should be in the "freak" selection, because I'm the ONLY one that picked Outlook. How's come? Am I missing something? I don't use fastmail's interface for mail because I work exclusively in Outlook, although I do login to the fastmail interface to tinker, or test. What interests me is that so many people are using OE. Is it because you don't have Outlook? Or are there other reasons I'm missing that you prefer OE for email?? Lisa

22 Apr 2002, 03:44 AM	#9
zaaz777 Essential Contributor Join Date: Jul 2001 Posts: 333	Poll: What do you use to read/send email? I have tried most of the popular e-mail clients,I find Outlook 2002 XP very good and most suitable for my needs,a close second is Outlook Express 6

22 Apr 2002, 10:52 AM	#14
Gankaku Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Virginia, USA Posts: 3,265	psalzer's commments OK psalzer, I get a better picture after reading your post....I know OE is free, but I just always felt like it was a "lite" package. I've always used Outlook at work, and had to have it on my machine at home. I do support too; didn't know that Outlook really hogged resources on older machines where OE worked fine. That's interesting. Also I noticed that after my original post the users that prefer Outlook has increased. :-) I'm not so alone after all!

22 Apr 2002, 12:26 PM	#15
Ann_jr Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: CT, USA Posts: 124	Eudora I voted for Eudora, since that's the client that I use constantly for most email, but I don't use it for IMAP access to FastMail. I haven't even tried, based on the negative reports in the forum. For IMAP, I use Netscape 4.75 (Windows). I haven't figured out how to synchronize, but I'm happy just using it as another way of looking at what's on the server. (With a dialup connection that rarely goes about 24K, it's faster loading than using the web interface.)

21 Apr 2002, 12:07 PM	#1
joelpt Essential Contributor Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Seattle WA USA Posts: 205	Poll: What do you use to read/send email? Just a fun little poll, to see what everyone's using in terms of email client (or webmail interface). FWIW, I've recently migrated to using Mozilla's MailNews component ... that's one bad *** email client ;)

21 Apr 2002, 12:41 PM	#2
Jeremy Howard Ultimate Contributor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 11,501	Good poll Joel--nice set of choices. It'll be interesting to see what people say. The official popularity stats from our logs are web interface first, OE second. But of course the web interface is available without installing extra software, and OE comes with every copy of Windows, so this doesn't necessarily reflect pro-active choices of email connoisseurs. PS: "Connoisseurs" sure is hard to spell!

21 Apr 2002, 12:47 PM	#3
ReuvenNY Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: New York Posts: 4,259	Why don't you add Becky! 2 to your poll, seems to be a popular email client.

21 Apr 2002, 12:50 PM	#4
munchkin Moderator Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Milliways Posts: 1,165	I mainly use the web interface.

21 Apr 2002, 01:03 PM	#5
joelpt Essential Contributor Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Seattle WA USA Posts: 205	Jeremy - the stats you mention are interesting, however, having the web interface at the #1 spot is probably to be expected, since even people who use email clients probably use the web interface for those extra fastmail features (e.g. bounce) at times. (At least I do .. ~25% of my email activity takes place on the web side) Reuven - I'm afraid I can't change the poll at this point; forum restrictions I hadn't even heard of Becky! 2, either.

22 Apr 2002, 02:27 AM	#7
psalzer Moderator Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 2,654	There could be two reasons why more people are using OE. It's free and people have it on their home computers. Outlook is part of an expensive package. It also seems to be a resource hog. At my job, they decided to get serious and move everyone to Outlook a while back. A lot of the computer that were running OE all right couldn't handle it. They had to spend a lot on upgrades to get everyone onto it. Another reason is it seems to be considered a better IMAP client than Outlook. I don't think it's surprising that most people are using the web interface. People tend to use e-mail providers to get access from anywhere. You need a provider for that when you can't set up a client for your personal account on each computer that you use. For myself, it's the features in the web interface and also, just the fact that since I use the web from work, which is about half the time I'm on, I just prefer using the same interface pretty much all the time.

22 Apr 2002, 03:28 AM	#8
esTester Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 968	I have used lots of email programs, but I mostly use Outlook Express XP. I never really like Outlook Express before, but it grew on me a while ago and I think its pretty good. - esTester

22 Apr 2002, 04:03 AM	#10
Guest Posts: n/a	For some reason, I've had a lot of trouble sending messages via OE so I don't bother using it. Fastmail is, by far, the most reliable so I now use it as my primary source for sending messages.

22 Apr 2002, 04:07 AM	#11
PeterS Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Glagow Posts: 69	It's a pity you can't select multiple. Like for me my primary use is via web. But when home, it's Mozilla (well trying to use it). I was hoping Mozilla v1 rc1 would download messages but wont for XP. It does work for my win98se system, but I don't take that away with me. Anyway, it will be a good poll. Look forward to the results.

22 Apr 2002, 05:45 AM	#12
lux The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 2,274	I use web interface. And I use OUtlook Express when uploading emails from other accounts/back up to Fastmail.fm...

22 Apr 2002, 05:57 AM	#13
ReuvenNY Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: New York Posts: 4,259	In course of my 7 - 8 years of using the Internet and email, I believe I have used or tried pretty much every email client/system. My first was AOL email, which we all agree is an embarrassment for a leading ISP as AOL. But very quickly I abandoned them for an independent ISP, and used Netscape’s email client, from the time before they called it “Messenger”. That worked well for me, until I got a second email address, and realized that having more then one POP account means leaving Netscape behind. I have no sympathy for Microsoft, not because of the quality of their product line, but rather because of their arrogance and being bullies. So Outlook Express and Outlook were never my favorites. Not to mention their security issues. I tried Pegasus, Eudora, TheBat!, Poco, Calypso, Allegro, FoxMail - you name it - I tried it. I finally settled on Becky!. Becky! Is not free, but it is a simple and elegant multi POP/IMAP client, which is probably one of the better IMAP supporting clients (not as good as Mulberry, but not as archaic either). The new Mozilla/Netscape email client seems to be pretty good, but I still prefer Becky. Becky also has a very active user mailing list, and many FastMail users have account here as well. As a matter of fact, it was Jannik Lindquist, an active Becky mailing list participant, thru whom I heard of FastMail.fm for the first time. If there is a good email client that supports IMAP that I missed, please let us all know about it. Reuven