Thunderbird/Outlook/etc... Why bother?

Steveire

If someone sends me an email, it goes to my gmail account.

If I want to send an email, I open gmail.

Why are thunderbird/outlook/etc so popular? Am I missing some fundamental brilliance that they deliver? I tried thunderbird once briefly, and it seems to be an RSS reader too. I can't think of any reason I might want an RSS reader, but if I did want one, there are small firefox plugins for that.

So: Why use an email client? Is it supposed to be for non-webmail addresses?

flano1

Couldn't agree more with this. I don't see the point of them at all. Even non-webmail addresses can still be logged onto on the net. All these programs do is decrease the mobility of you checking your email! They seem like a waste of time to me

irlrobins

You pretty much got it in your last sentence. Not every mail address comes with a web front end or decent usable one like gmail.

I use gmail (via gmail.com) and thunderbird for my other imap or pop3 accounts.

My use of a email client comes from the good ol days of dial up. I didn't want to be online typing up a long email and running up the phone bill. So I could type all my mails up offline, connect and send in a few secs. Also it's nice to have an offline copy of mail messages. Nothing worse than trying to look up those party directions when ur internet is down.

So while some people are happy/more comfortable with webmail based addresses, others prefer using email clients.

To each, their own I say.

ChityWest

They are handy for laptops when your on the move - plus with a service like gmail you can that one email account through a browser or through a pop mail reader for offline reading.

Ardent

I use Thunderbird because it's a piece of p1ss to set up and check my many many pop3 email accounts all at once. And it's a really nice email client.

Rollo Tamasi

i have more than 15 email addresses which i need to check everyday, it takes 3 minutes to scan thru them all with Thunderbird but would take about half an hour with the online route.

sharingan

While I do most of my home mailing through gmail, I use thunderbird to archive it all (gmails pop3 feature).

RSS is dead handy. Though I use SharpReader for that.

The other thing you would use Tbird for is amalgamating multiple accounts.

THeres also offline reading. Gmail doesn't work too well when you are on the move.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

flano1

Ok i can understand if u have a lot of email addresses. Why do you have more than 15 addies, Rollo?

Rollo Tamasi

flano1 wrote:

Ok i can understand if u have a lot of email addresses. Why do you have more than 15 addies, Rollo?

I run websites so i have
admin @ website
my name @ website
accounts @ website
etc...etc....

Archytas

Suppose your a webmaster for a couple of sites - there's four or five email addresses... And even beside that you'd have work email address and a couple of personal addresses(one for registering on sites... spamilicious... etc.)

Tis easy to build up alot of emails addresses...

EDiT: Sorry... rollo... you got your reply in first...

Zascar

I much perfer outlook to web just for a pure organisational point. I can't get used to the google labels thing, I just want to drag and drop to different folders. and be done with it.

DonkeyStyle \o/

I never used to use email client proggies, but once I got used to letting the app check for new mail in the background every 10 mins, I was hooked.
It's very handy if you've got a busy day with lots of mail coming in... you don't have to stop what you're doing to login and wait for webmail to load up.
Sure it only saves a few seconds, but it all adds up... and it's labour/pain-in-the-arse saving.
It's also very handy if you're playing a game or watching a dvd... being alerted by your faverite .wav file.
No more logging in to No new mail.
I can definitely see why business use mail client apps anyway.

Zascar

yes exactly, however on my gmail I too have Gmail Notify where I get little reminders in the bottom right of the screen

DonkeyStyle \o/

o rly?
Hmm, I must be the last person on the planet without a gmail account... didn't know about that.
But surely there's some client download involved there aswell?
Don't think I've ever come across a way for web pages to interact with the taskbar without some kind of client side app installed.
Anyway, sure whatever... we're all happy and that's wonderful

Wertz

DonkeyStyle \o/ wrote:

o rly?
Hmm, I must be the last person on the planet without a gmail account...

Nope.

I my client for all the reasons given above and for the fact that I can back up all my old emails. If I'm away from home I can check stuff on the web.
Like Irlrobins, my use of outlook harks back to dial up, even though I'm now DSL, old habits die hard...

flano1

Zascar wrote:

yes exactly, however on my gmail I too have Gmail Notify where I get little reminders in the bottom right of the screen

How did you set that up?

irlrobins

http://mail.google.com/mail/help/notifier/

(Amazing what google can tell you )

flano1

Oh doesn't matter I found it

Edit: too right irlrobins!

Rollo Tamasi

don't bother with google notify get google talk instead
google.com/talk

it's an instant message client, email notifier and a VoIP application.

FunkyChicken

Gmail notifier all the way

irlrobins

yea, I have enough messaging apps as it is and don't bother with VOIP (I'm not a phone person!) No need for an overkill solution in my case.

Rollo Tamasi

just because it's there doesn't mean you have to use it!
gtalk is the best messaging client i have used, it even beats GAIM!

irlrobins

yea i know. But I'm happy with notifier so lil point in adding another app if it's not going to be of any use to me beyond what I already have.