Find the Best E-mail Program: Thunderbird vs. Outlook Express

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the comparison of email programs, specifically Thunderbird and Outlook Express, focusing on features, usability, and user preferences. Participants explore the capabilities of these programs, particularly in relation to printing email addresses and managing contacts, as well as the implications of using proprietary versus open-source software.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express a preference for Thunderbird over Outlook Express, citing its open-source nature and perceived security advantages.
  • Concerns are raised about Thunderbird's limitations in printing contact lists compared to Outlook Express, with one participant noting the inability to print multiple email addresses on a single page.
  • Others suggest that Thunderbird can print contacts but may require exporting to a word processor for formatting adjustments.
  • There is a mention of Evolution as an alternative email client that may offer more features than Thunderbird.
  • Participants discuss the proprietary nature of Outlook Express and its replacement by Windows Mail, with some expressing skepticism about its usability and flexibility.
  • One participant challenges the claim that moving email archives is easier with Thunderbird than with Outlook, sharing their experience of regularly transferring Outlook email files.
  • There is a broader discussion about the implications of using proprietary versus open-source software, with some advocating for the benefits of software freedom and open formats.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the superiority of one email program over the other. There are competing views on the usability of Thunderbird versus Outlook Express, particularly regarding printing capabilities and data portability.

Contextual Notes

Some limitations in the discussion include varying definitions of terms like "e-mail book," differing user experiences with software functionality, and the potential impact of operating system differences on program performance.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for users evaluating email programs, particularly those interested in the differences between open-source and proprietary software, as well as those seeking solutions for managing and printing contact lists.

biferi
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I have win and use. Thunderbird. For my e mail program.

I like to use an e mail program and not the. Web site to get my e mail.

Is there anything batter then. Thunderbird?

Thunderbird does not let you print the e mail book like. Outlook express.

This is what I need it to do so is there a batter e mail program?
 
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I have win and use. Thunderbird. For my e mail program.
English is not your first language huh? Here, let me help -
You have Windows and use Thunderbird for your e-mail program? (English does not use a period either side of proper nouns - it took a bit to figure out what you were doing ;) )
Is there anything better than Thunderbird?
Depends on your requirements. Define "better"?
Thunderbird does not let you print the e-mail book like Outlook Express.
What do you mean by "e-mail book"? Do you mean the contacts list?

You can print out your contacts list from Thunderbird, but if you want to adjust the format, you need to export it to a word-processor like Libre Office. The ability to use any program with any other is something of a feature of Free Software - but it can be a bit confusing for people who are used to more restricted software :)

Thunderbird tends to be somewhat feature-light.
A more integrated e-mail (and PIM) client is Evolution - part of the Gnome project and sponsored (mostly) by Novell.

Comparison of email clients:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_e-mail_clients
 
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I did try to print out all of my E Mail Addresses from Thunderbird and it does do it. But it would print one E Mail Address at a time on just one page.

I wanted to be able to print all of my E Mail Addresses on say one page or as many pages as needed.

I did this with Outlook Exspress but I do not think Thunderbird can do this.

Do they have Outlook Exspress for win7?
 


Ask in the mozilla forums.
All the comments I've found there show that people are routinely printing many entries on each page. In the link I gave you, the questioner needed to change the size of the entries so he could fit all of them on a few sheets of paper.

Another example:
http://forum.openoffice.org/en/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=10078&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a
... questioner wants to get more than his usual 4-6 records per page from Thunderbird address-book.

So - it is something you are doing.
How are you trying to solve the problem?

Compare what you are doing with:
https://getsatisfaction.com/mozilla_messaging/topics/how_do_i_print_a_mailing_list
... you seem to have the same problem as the poster in that question.
... see Roland Tangelo at the bottom.

I cannot recommend Outlook Express.
Have you looked at Evolution as a more feature-full solution?

It is possible that these programs have better performance under linux - their native environment - than windows ... I wouldn't know.
 


Why can you not recomand outlook express?

Do they not make it for win?
 


Outlook Express is proprietary software.
To use it you have to agree to draconian conditions... you are already using Windows so you may already be sunk there.

Anyway - it got replaced by Windows Mail ... should be bundled with Win 7.
Also proprietary software - you shouldn't be short on choice for mail clients.
 
I do not recommend switching to Outlook Express (or Outlook proper) from Thunderbird. Thunderbird is open source (and free) and generally less likely to be a target for viruses. Also, it is easy to move your email archives from one PC to another. Not so easy with Outlook Express or Outlook.
 
harborsparrow said:
Also, it is easy to move your email archives from one PC to another. Not so easy with Outlook Express or Outlook.

I don't understand that statement at all. I regularly move Outlook email files from one computer to another.
 
harborsparrow said:
I do not recommend switching to Outlook Express (or Outlook proper) from Thunderbird. Thunderbird is open source (and free) and generally less likely to be a target for viruses.
... and you can rely on someone telling you if it has been while proprietary developers are reluctant to do this.

phinds said:
Also, it is easy to move your email archives from one PC to another. Not so easy with Outlook Express or Outlook.
I don't understand that statement at all. I regularly move Outlook email files from one computer to another.
... it is fairly routine these days to move MS mail files between computers ... one only hopes it stays that way. The formats are proprietary but mostly published iirc. You have the fewest problems if you stay within the MS ecosystem - specifically outlook - just like Apple stuff is nice to use as long as you only use Apple stuff.

For people used to software freedom, the methods feel convoluted - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/196743
For people used to not having the freedom, http://www.scribd.com/doc/83148866/Freedom-is-Hard-to-Sell. Sides, open formats are not automatically portable either - it's just that nobody can decide to cut you off later: in principle, you can always access your data. When choosing between freedom and not-freedom - best practice is always to pick the freedom.

To be fair, proprietary formats are a LOT more open than they used to be. Remember when a word file was not guaranteed to be portable even between the same version of Word?

So let's not turn this into a proprietary vs freedom/open fight.

Everything has it's wee foibles - you end up picking which ones you can live with.
 
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