I use Outlook for my personal email, and I'm strongly considering changing my mail client. Other than the security benefits of not automatically running scripts when viewing messages, can anyone who has switched to Thunderbird tell me what other features make this client a preferred choice to Outlook?
I'll politely add that open-source isn't enough to compel me to change, nor is bayesian filtering (I already use SpamBayes).
Thanks for your help, and really, I'm not trying to fan any fl
- It's faster than Outlook (though slower than Firefox). In the latest Outlook, message rendering can take up to a few seconds - the UI is just not very responsive.
- Leaner UI overall. I like Outlook's corporate functions, but I just don't use them that often at work, and never at home. Also, Outlook suffers from having 15 different ways to get to your folders - they keep adding new panels and icons. I don't consider this a good thing at all, since it rarely - if ever - increases my productivity or improves my user experience. It just makes me click around idly.
- Significantly faster (and better) quicksearch (there are even rumors of search-as-you-type in the future!)
- As with any other Mozilla product, they listen to the users' comments. If a reasonable, much-requested feature doesn't make it to the release, I'll bet my hat there's an extension that does it.
- Shockingly, it's a better client for Ma and Pa User. Fewer buttons, leaner out of the box, no office environment mumbo jumbo. (I'm not even going to take seriously suggestions to use Outlook Express in that case.)
I would add that Linux support is a huge advantage. It's even possible (with a little fussing) to share your mail and prefs between Windows and Linux on a dual-boot machine.
One less reason to find myself in the "wrong" OS when I need to do something...
"Well hello there Charlie Brown, you blockhead."
-- Lucy Van Pelt
Question for the Outlook "switchers" (Score:5, Interesting)
I use Outlook for my personal email, and I'm strongly considering changing my mail client. Other than the security benefits of not automatically running scripts when viewing messages, can anyone who has switched to Thunderbird tell me what other features make this client a preferred choice to Outlook?
I'll politely add that open-source isn't enough to compel me to change, nor is bayesian filtering (I already use SpamBayes).
Thanks for your help, and really, I'm not trying to fan any fl
Re:Question for the Outlook "switchers" (Score:5, Interesting)
- Leaner UI overall. I like Outlook's corporate functions, but I just don't use them that often at work, and never at home. Also, Outlook suffers from having 15 different ways to get to your folders - they keep adding new panels and icons. I don't consider this a good thing at all, since it rarely - if ever - increases my productivity or improves my user experience. It just makes me click around idly.
- Significantly faster (and better) quicksearch (there are even rumors of search-as-you-type in the future!)
- As with any other Mozilla product, they listen to the users' comments. If a reasonable, much-requested feature doesn't make it to the release, I'll bet my hat there's an extension that does it.
- Shockingly, it's a better client for Ma and Pa User. Fewer buttons, leaner out of the box, no office environment mumbo jumbo. (I'm not even going to take seriously suggestions to use Outlook Express in that case.)
Re:Question for the Outlook "switchers" (Score:1)
I would add that Linux support is a huge advantage. It's even possible (with a little fussing) to share your mail and prefs between Windows and Linux on a dual-boot machine.
One less reason to find myself in the "wrong" OS when I need to do something...