Macintosh and Mail Programs

ChinaLamb · 19 May 2006, 04:41 PM

I am a windows user, but considering the move to MAC...

One of my concerns is that I live inside Outlook. It's got my entire life in there.

I need a Mac app that can handle the following:

Multiple Email accounts.
Right now I have 1 Fastmail account, but have 5 different addresses filtered into different folders and download them as if they are separate accounts. I am using Outlook currently. I currently have these placed in separate Outlook folders - when I reply to any one of these messages, it automatically selects the account the email was sent through. Additionally, I have "Realaccount" installed which automatically sets the "reply to" account based on what folder I am looking at. I am willing to go with IMAP instead of POP, but I would really like an easy way to use personalities, such as what "realaccount" is doing for me.

Tasks

Calendar
Ability to sync with outside services...

Contacts:
Including Sync with an outside service
The ability to do Mail Merges based on a particular "sort" or "filter" of selected contacts.
The ability

Lastly, I use a PocketPC, and need all this syncable to my PPC...

Do any Mac users have any suggestions for me?

Thanks!

/CL

cwa1364 · 20 May 2006, 02:38 AM

I'm a former MAC user and the best software that I found
to do all that you need is Office X from Microsoft. Their
Enterage program for email/contacts/calender is much
better and easier to use than Office for PC's. A lot smoother
look and feel. More logical layout of menus.

-=[cwa]=-

thomas44 · 20 May 2006, 03:00 AM

Hi ChinaLamb

Ability sometimes means to make it work in a few steps.
I can't anwser all of your questions, but here's mine.

If you move to Mac, you can run your Windows on it too.
So you can have it your way, as you are used to it, and you can check out OS X. And there's an Outlook for Mac too. Still Migration might not be a funny thing to do.

I use Thunderbird with IMAP.
I have several domains hosted with my fastmail-account. I use about 20 folders with maybe 50 subfolders.
With a little modification of the file 'user_pref' Thunderbird checks for new Mail in all folders.
see mozilla Knowledgebase
Or you can check the 'check for new Mails'-Box in 'Properties' in all your folders.

With TB you can also manage several Identities, means that with every new Mail you have to choose your identity. A reply to your mail will be send to the mail-address of your identity.
I come to learn that I use no 'reply to' at all. Is there a good reason to use one I don't know of?

Apple Mail.app is also very popular.

IMAP, either on Mac or Win is very handy, if you have to manage with your mail on different advices.

Sync:
Always depends on the outside-Services

Mac has a AdressBook-App., which syncs with iSync, Thunderbird still has its own Adressbook. It might be necessary to export in a specified format - and import it on the target. (Like you have to do it with Fastmail)
http://www.fastmail.fm/docs/faqparts...ploadAddresses

Calender:
iCal is ok and can sync with matching outside-services.
There's also Sunbird,
http://www.mozilla.org/projects/cale...ird/index.html
a cross platform standalone calendar application based on Mozilla's XUL user interface language.
I think there's also a Calender-Extension for Firefox. And there might be many others.

PocketPC:
requires third-party-products:
http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/isync/devices.html

I intend to buy a new Mac hopefuly soon too. I like the idea to be able to run different OS on one machine. I think MacMini has a great price-performance ratio. And also, it's fast. And hey, it looks good

thomas

William9 · 20 May 2006, 11:34 AM

Mark/Space synching software utility for the Mac really works well.

William9 · 20 May 2006, 11:35 AM

What's really cool with the Mac is that your Address Book and Calendar sync across multiple computers using .Mac.

rishi · 20 May 2006, 02:23 PM

Dotmac is very cool for syncing bookmarks,contacts and iCal but its email component doesn't compare with Fastmail. Also its cost is a bit too high for us in India - it works out to 120 dollars a year.

ChinaLamb, I would recommend Entourage and TBird if you are using IMAP and Powermail, if you will use ONLY POP.Powermail doesn't work well with Fastmail's Cyrus IMAP.

camner · 20 May 2006, 02:58 PM

One can pretty much do everything Outlook does in Entourage, except that Entourage doesn't work nearly as well with an MS Exchange Server as Outlook. My wife uses Outlook on her PC while I use Entourage on my Mac and I find it much easier to configure and maintain Entourage than she does with Outlook.

That said, moving platforms is always an initial hassle. Having gotten used to one way of doing things, you constantly find yourself saying "this is weird...why do they do it THAT way". So there is a learning curve. But, having used both in my life, I consistently find the Mac OS easier to get around than XP. It's more intuitive. But, I all but guarantee you won't feel that way on day 1.

Ennis · 25 May 2006, 09:48 AM

Somebody here said there is Outlook for Mac. There is no Outlook or Outlook Express for OS X.

rishi · 25 May 2006, 11:46 PM

Quote:

Somebody here said there is Outlook for Mac. There is no Outlook or Outlook Express for OS X.

Entourage

Ennis · 26 May 2006, 06:11 AM

Don't be fooled. Entourage is not Outlook. For Mac users like me, who really have no love affair with Outlook, or need for outlook, there are plenty of good mail apps, not to mention the free one that comes with OS X. I use it and I like it.

19 May 2006, 04:41 PM	#1
ChinaLamb The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: a virtually impossible but finitely improbable position Posts: 2,320	Macintosh and Mail Programs I am a windows user, but considering the move to MAC... One of my concerns is that I live inside Outlook. It's got my entire life in there. I need a Mac app that can handle the following: Multiple Email accounts. Right now I have 1 Fastmail account, but have 5 different addresses filtered into different folders and download them as if they are separate accounts. I am using Outlook currently. I currently have these placed in separate Outlook folders - when I reply to any one of these messages, it automatically selects the account the email was sent through. Additionally, I have "Realaccount" installed which automatically sets the "reply to" account based on what folder I am looking at. I am willing to go with IMAP instead of POP, but I would really like an easy way to use personalities, such as what "realaccount" is doing for me. Tasks Calendar Ability to sync with outside services... Contacts: Including Sync with an outside service The ability to do Mail Merges based on a particular "sort" or "filter" of selected contacts. The ability Lastly, I use a PocketPC, and need all this syncable to my PPC... Do any Mac users have any suggestions for me? Thanks! /CL

20 May 2006, 02:38 AM	#2
cwa1364 Junior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Canonsburg, PA USA Posts: 5	I'm a former MAC user and the best software that I found to do all that you need is Office X from Microsoft. Their Enterage program for email/contacts/calender is much better and easier to use than Office for PC's. A lot smoother look and feel. More logical layout of menus. -=[cwa]=-

20 May 2006, 03:00 AM	#3
thomas44 Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: zurich Posts: 46	Hi ChinaLamb Ability sometimes means to make it work in a few steps. I can't anwser all of your questions, but here's mine. If you move to Mac, you can run your Windows on it too. So you can have it your way, as you are used to it, and you can check out OS X. And there's an Outlook for Mac too. Still Migration might not be a funny thing to do. I use Thunderbird with IMAP. I have several domains hosted with my fastmail-account. I use about 20 folders with maybe 50 subfolders. With a little modification of the file 'user_pref' Thunderbird checks for new Mail in all folders. see mozilla Knowledgebase Or you can check the 'check for new Mails'-Box in 'Properties' in all your folders. With TB you can also manage several Identities, means that with every new Mail you have to choose your identity. A reply to your mail will be send to the mail-address of your identity. I come to learn that I use no 'reply to' at all. Is there a good reason to use one I don't know of? Apple Mail.app is also very popular. IMAP, either on Mac or Win is very handy, if you have to manage with your mail on different advices. Sync: Always depends on the outside-Services Mac has a AdressBook-App., which syncs with iSync, Thunderbird still has its own Adressbook. It might be necessary to export in a specified format - and import it on the target. (Like you have to do it with Fastmail) http://www.fastmail.fm/docs/faqparts...ploadAddresses Calender: iCal is ok and can sync with matching outside-services. There's also Sunbird, http://www.mozilla.org/projects/cale...ird/index.html a cross platform standalone calendar application based on Mozilla's XUL user interface language. I think there's also a Calender-Extension for Firefox. And there might be many others. PocketPC: requires third-party-products: http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/isync/devices.html I intend to buy a new Mac hopefuly soon too. I like the idea to be able to run different OS on one machine. I think MacMini has a great price-performance ratio. And also, it's fast. And hey, it looks good thomas

20 May 2006, 11:34 AM	#4
William9 The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Francisco Posts: 2,281	Mark/Space synching software utility for the Mac really works well.

20 May 2006, 11:35 AM	#5
William9 The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Francisco Posts: 2,281	What's really cool with the Mac is that your Address Book and Calendar sync across multiple computers using .Mac.

20 May 2006, 02:23 PM	#6
rishi Essential Contributor Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: India Posts: 214	Dotmac is very cool for syncing bookmarks,contacts and iCal but its email component doesn't compare with Fastmail. Also its cost is a bit too high for us in India - it works out to 120 dollars a year. ChinaLamb, I would recommend Entourage and TBird if you are using IMAP and Powermail, if you will use ONLY POP.Powermail doesn't work well with Fastmail's Cyrus IMAP.

20 May 2006, 02:58 PM	#7
camner Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 662	One can pretty much do everything Outlook does in Entourage, except that Entourage doesn't work nearly as well with an MS Exchange Server as Outlook. My wife uses Outlook on her PC while I use Entourage on my Mac and I find it much easier to configure and maintain Entourage than she does with Outlook. That said, moving platforms is always an initial hassle. Having gotten used to one way of doing things, you constantly find yourself saying "this is weird...why do they do it THAT way". So there is a learning curve. But, having used both in my life, I consistently find the Mac OS easier to get around than XP. It's more intuitive. But, I all but guarantee you won't feel that way on day 1.

25 May 2006, 09:48 AM	#8
Ennis Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 984	Somebody here said there is Outlook for Mac. There is no Outlook or Outlook Express for OS X.

26 May 2006, 06:11 AM	#10
Ennis Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 984	Don't be fooled. Entourage is not Outlook. For Mac users like me, who really have no love affair with Outlook, or need for outlook, there are plenty of good mail apps, not to mention the free one that comes with OS X. I use it and I like it.