E-mail revisited

Wanting to make a change

[grandpa]

I've read some older discussions in this forum about different e-mail programs. In light of the most recent release of MyDoom(f), and for other reasons, I'm looking at options to Outlook.

First on my list is Eudora. It's not as a big a target as Outlook for hackers, or is it? It seems to have a better capacity for bulk mailing, something I've never been able to do directly with Outlook. Using Word, mail merge and Outlook is clunky.

Spam filtering is almost a requirement anymore. How does Eudora compare to other programs?

[Mardi_Gras]

>In light of the most recent release of MyDoom(f), and for other reasons, I'm looking at options to Outlook.

I've been using Outlook for several years with never a problem. Before you switch, I suggest you check out the newest version, which has a revamped and very nice interface, offers strong spam filtering capabilities, and offers the ability to block any web-based elements from an e-mail.

[jbinbpt]

We use Eudora as our mail client for the same reasons. Seems to be under the hackers radar. We run sponsored mode which is only a little annoying until you get used to it. I like the spam filters and the documentation is above average.

jb

[mole]

Look at Pegasus at www.pmail.com

[Mardi_Gras]

Pocomail is probably the next best thing to Outlook available; in fact, the new Outlook interface borrows heavily from Pocomail (although I guess MS would dispute that). It is definitely worth a try.

[grandpa]

Well the opinions seems to be as varied today as they were a year ago :-)

One requirement, a must, is that we can create and distribute mailings to our customers without so much effort. (It takes 3 days to get a mailing out right now - 200 at a time, every 90 minutes or so.) A real PITA.

I'll have a look at the last 2 mentioned. I'm not tied to the Outlook interface, but that's a big plus for the boss.

[Mardi_Gras]

>One requirement, a must, is that we can create and distribute mailings to our customers without so much effort.

None of the programs mentioned here are designed for bulk mailings. You should be using a dedicated bulk e-mail program for that.

I would look at Groupmail or Mach5 E-mailer; both have free trials.

[mattglet]

... or a server-side script that pulls the emails from a database, and fires them off at a rate of almost a 1000 per minute.

-Matt

[Mardi_Gras]

> or a server-side script

I haven't found a script that offers everything I think is important in a mailer:

Multipart capability - essential if sending HTML

Comprehensive preview and test send features - can save a lot of embarassment

Spell checking is nice

Read tracking is helpful - to show how many people don't see HTML...

Comprehensive merge (and conditional merge) capabilities

Maybe you've had better luck - or have different needs :)

[grandpa]

or a server-side script that pulls the emails from a database, and fires them off at a rate of almost a 1000 per minute

We aren't quite there yet, still having to play by the rules of the host provider. 200 every other hour is fine, but having something to schedule that would be sweet.

I'm looking at Mach5 now. So far I like what I see.

I'm still leaning toward Eudora. I believe it can be set up to mass mail by assigning the addresses to a group.

[mattglet]

> Maybe you've had better luck

I definitely don't NEED all the stuff you are requesting, but just for sending out an email to a newsletter list, which is what grandpa is looking for, I build my own custom scripts to do everything. It's not that hard, you just need programming knowledge (I am a web developer by trade).

-Matt

[mattglet]

still having to play by the rules of the host provider.

Are you saying you can't send that many emails (they actually regulate it)?

Or your host doesn't support server-side scripting (ASP, etc)?

-Matt

[Mardi_Gras]

>I definitely don't NEED all the stuff you are requesting,

Different needs. I do a lot of standard merging and conditional merging. Without comprehensive preview/test send capabilities, that can be a nightmare.

If all you want to do is send plain text to lots of people, ANY e-mail program can handle the task.

[grandpa]

Matt,

I'm saying that we'll get dinged for spamming if we send more than 200-300 hr thru our host mail. And so far that hasn't justified the need to find an email host.

[Mardi_Gras]

>'m saying that we'll get dinged for spamming if we send more than 200-300 hr

Group Mail Pro will let you send a specified number of mails, then pause automatically for up to one hour, then resume again.

[grandpa]

I'll have a look at that Mardi_Gras. So that really only leaves me the question - is it worth it to switch off my Outlook and use something else.

I'm of the belief that it is.. because M$'s become a prominent target of late, if for no other reason. There's no test run for Eudora, you either pay or run crippled. Would be nice to test drive for a week or two. I'll have a look at some of the other programs mentioned here. Thanks.

[Mardi_Gras]

>So that really only leaves me the question - is it worth it to switch off my Outlook and use something else.

That's a personal call, I think. In terms of bulk mailing, I would absolutely use something else - Outlook just wasn't really designed for that, nor was Eudora or PocoMail.

But for everyday use, I am happy with Outlook - of course, I do use a number of add-ins and auxilliary programs (like Nelson) that are Outlook-specific. And keeping all my contact information in one place is really useful to me.

Your situation may be completely different. I would suggest that if you want to try something different, though, check out PocoMail. Play around with the view options and other choices - it really is a nice alternative if you are not tied to Outlook.