| When choosing an email client, one has a number of | | | | email clients like Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes |
| concerns they need to address: | | | | Email may have difficulty switching over at first. |
| - Will this client work with my email provider? | | | | Outlook tends to be what comes to mind when |
| - How easy is it to use? | | | | most people think of the "classic" email client. Most |
| - Do I like the UI? | | | | people have experienced it in some form or another, |
| - Is it powerful enough for my mailing needs? | | | | whether it be as a part of the Microsoft Office Suite |
| Many people will simply stick with web-mail clients, | | | | or simply as the web-based Outlook Express. This |
| which affords some convenience at the cost of | | | | really is a testament to the strength of office; the |
| customization and power. For those of us looking for | | | | vast majority of people either have experienced it, |
| more control over our inboxes however, third-party | | | | or can learn how to use it relatively quickly. Outlook is |
| mail clients are the way to go. Presently the most | | | | slightly less robust in features, though is on par with, |
| two mail clients I run into most are Mozilla | | | | if not better than Thunderbird in text editing |
| Thunderbird and Microsoft Outlook. | | | | formatting options. As far as setup, Microsoft has |
| Thunderbird is free, and usually offers what people | | | | done an excellent job in streamlining the installation |
| are looking for. The UI is simple and uncluttered, the | | | | process, and Outlook can usually configure itself to |
| text-editor has a rich variety of formatting options, | | | | any email service. When it can't, the Microsoft |
| it's relatively simple to set up, and most importantly, | | | | support community is there to provide guidance, |
| it uses an 'extension' system similar to Firefox. For | | | | covering effectively any issue that might arise. |
| those not familiar with Firefox's extensions, they're | | | | Effectively the choice comes down to what you |
| basically community developed add-ons to the | | | | want; although Outlook might be easier to use and |
| program that add or tweak functionality. | | | | more friendly, if for no other reason than the |
| Thunderbird's extensions can be used to a variety of | | | | extensions Thunderbird offers more options to the |
| things, from setting up auto-response systems to | | | | user. It can be important to note, however, that not |
| automatically creating and fully indexing an address | | | | everyone will understand or even want extensions, |
| book out of an inbox. Thunderbird is a program of | | | | meaning that Outlook might be your best bet going |
| few weaknesses, though those accustomed to other | | | | off simplicity as the best policy. |