Choosing an Email Client

From the start, the Internet has been touted as a means for enhancing human communications, and among the many communication tools available in the online world, few have had the impact of electronic mail (email).

To fully understand the nature of email, you should keep in mind that, at its most basic level, it is simply a way for users to send messages to each other over a network. This network could be a local area network (LAN) run by your company using MS Exchange Server software. In this situation, the network server manages all message traffic. The server can also act as a gateway to other servers, allowing you to send mail beyond the local network. If you have an email account with an Internet service provider (ISP) or other Internet-based service, the provider's server acts as your gateway to other mail servers across the Internet.

Email has been criticized by some as diminishing the art of written communication by making letter writing into a less formal exchange. You may or may not agree, but if your daily work requires you to use a computer, chances are you are also expected to use email for much of your business communication.

Given that email is here to stay, you must decide which email client you plan to use for reading, composing, and sending messages. You have a number of options available to you, and which one you ultimately choose will depend not only on your personal preferences but also professional needs.

Windows XP includes an excellent email client called Outlook Express 6 (OE6), which is actually a companion program to Internet Explorer 6 (IE6). It is a multifeatured program designed to appeal to a variety of email users, but it isn't for everyone. OE6 can also function as a newsgroup client, making it a "one-stop" program if you routinely communicate via email and use newsgroups.

To learn more about using Outlook Express to read newsgroups, Outlook Express is relatively compact as Windows applications go. If you want an efficient program that can handle your email needs without a lot of extra fluff, OE6 is a pretty good choice. However, it does lack a few features that you might want or need, so read the next couple of sections to find out if you should be using a different client.

NOTE

This discussion assumes you have a choice in email clients. If you're using Windows XP in an office environment, check with your company's Information Systems (IS) manager to find out whether you must use one specific client.

What If You Like Outlook 97, 98, 2000, or 2003?

If you use Microsoft's Office suite, you're probably familiar with Outlook. Outlook is the primary communications tool included in the Office package, and many professional PC users like it. However, don't be misled by the name similarity between Outlook and Outlook Express. OE6 is not a "lite" version of Outlook; these two applications are actually quite different. Aside from the name and a few basic interface similarities, the only thing they have in common is the capability to handle email.

Outlook includes many features that Outlook Express does not, such as the following:

• A personal calendar

• An electronic journal

• Fax capability

• Compatibility with Microsoft Exchange Server

In addition, Outlook's system of managing personal contacts is far more advanced than that of Outlook Express. If the ability to integrate a heavy email load with your personal scheduler on a daily basis is important to you, Outlook is the clear choice.

If you are already using Outlook and like the Calendar and Journal, stick with it. Furthermore, if your company's network or workgroup uses Exchange Server for mail services, Outlook is the only fully compatible upgrade to that system. Outlook is also Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) capable, which means it can share mail with other MAPI-capable programs on your system. Outlook Express is not MAPI-capable. Because Outlook is bigger than OE, it requires more disk space, more RAM, and slightly more patience on the part of the user. If you find that you don't use Outlook for anything but email, you might be better served by Outlook Express.

Other Email Clients

Microsoft isn't the only company producing high-quality email clients. One of the most popular alternatives is Eudora Pro from Qualcomm (www.eudora.com). Eudora offers an excellent package of mail management and filtering features, as well as compatibility with the latest Internet mail standards. Like Outlook Express, it is considerably more compact than Outlook, but it does not incorporate a newsgroup reader. Some unique Eudora features include the following:

• Voice messaging capability

• Integrated McAfee VirusScan protection for viruses propagated in mail attachments

• Built-in compression agent to shorten download times on slow dial-up connections

A free version of Eudora called Eudora Light is available, but it lacks so many of the features available in the identically priced Outlook Express that, at this point, it isn't worth your consideration.

Another popular email client is Netscape Messenger, which comes as part of the Netscape Communicator package and is available as freeware. Messenger is comparable to Outlook Express in terms of mail management and newsgroup capability, and its interface is clean and uncluttered.

Numerous other email clients exist. A simple search on the Web or of www.download.com will flush them out.