Why I like Eudora email
RIVER BENDER -
Sepytember, 2012Before discussing Eudora, I want to mention an update to the article I wrote last month titled "Do I need an iPad?" I've now seen the competitive Google Nexus 7 tablet that was announced and it's a real bargain compared to the Apple iPad I praised since its 8 Gbyte version is only $199 and 16 Gbyte is $249. Both are WiFi compatible to connect wireless to your router. I was about to buy one until I discovered it doesn't permit file sharing with my other computers. The only way Nexus 7 would be able to access documents in my other computers would be if I stored then in a cloud, such as Google Docs. Now I'm told by Staples that Microsoft will announce a new tablet called "Surface" in October that will permit file sharing. Also Apple is coming out with another iPad tablet soon, so we're in a holding pattern. More than likely, I'll probably just end up sticking with the 3 computers I have.
For many years I have used free Eudora as my primary email program, dating as far back as Windows 95. I also have Microsoft's Outlook Express and Outlook installed which I can quickly switch to. I keep them because of their popularity and they help me answer questions folks send. So why Eudora?
The primary reason I began using Eudora years ago was because it was a friendly program compared to MS Outlook Express (MSOE) that everyone was using at the time because it came bundled with their MS Internet Explorer browser. In those days, MSOE was plagued with viruses and malicious software and MS was constantly sending out annoying security updates. Eudora didn't have such problems so I switched to their free version.
The second reason I use Eudora is because it enables me to divide the screen display to show both incoming and outgoing mail, a feature other mail programs don't have to my knowledge. I receive lots of mail managing several email lists and average around 40-50 messages per day so matching incoming mail with outgoing replies is very helpful to me.
Another feature I like about Eudora is that all incoming and outgoing attachments and embedded photos are automatically saved in separate Eudora folders. I put an icon on my desktop which I can click on to see these folders. The downside, of course, is that I have to clean then out periodically. I also love the search capability of Eudora that I use extensively, which I think is far better than Outlook or Outlook Express.
Qualcomm, best known for their cell phone chips, created Eudora years ago but finally got out of the email business. One can still download their last version 7.1 at http://www.eudora.com/download/ but if you're still using dial-up to Internet, it will take about 40 minutes. How to setup Eudora is at http://www.eudora.com/techsupport/kb/2363hq.html. Actually, Eudora was handed off to Mozilla as part of their Thunderbird project so there's now a new Eudora in beta version code-named Penelope version 8.0b1. I understand it's having problems so I'd stick with the original Eudora version 7.1 that works. You might want to see the article "Is the new Eudora Bait and Switch?" at http://www.technightowl.com/2007/09/is-the-new-eudora-bait-and-switch/.