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Features to look for in a good e-mail program
November 13, 1997
Web posted at: 1:12 p.m. EST (1812 GMT)By Lawrence J. Magid
Netscape Communications isn't the only company that stands to lose from Microsoft's campaign to give a free copy of Internet Explorer 4.0 to every computer owner in the world. This is also a tough time to be in the e-mail software business.
In addition to its Web browser, Internet Explorer comes with Outlook Express, an excellent e-mail program that also serves as an address and phone directory and a means of reading and responding to Internet bulletin boards, called newsgroups.
Although OE has plenty of features, there are still a few things it doesn't offer, leaving the door open for other software companies.
Qualcomm, the San Diego, California, communications company that publishes the popular and feature-rich Eudora e-mail program (Mac and Windows), is giving away beta copies of its upcoming Eudora Pro 4.0 for Windows 95 at its Web site (http://www.qualcomm.com). The beta version will expire, so if you get hooked, you'll have to pay $39 for a copy. Qualcomm also publishes Eudora Light, a scaled-down free e-mail program.
Although Eudora Pro has some high-end features not found elsewhere, even free programs have more than enough features to satisfy the needs of demanding e-mail users.
Among the freeware is Pegasus Mail, a full-featured program for Windows and Macintosh that you can download at http://www.pegasus.usa.com. Unlike shareware programs, there is no moral obligation to pay for freeware.
Netscape has an e-mail program, built into its Communicator browser, that is perfectly adequate for basic e-mail operations but not as robust as Outlook Express or Eudora. Whether the extra features in Eudora or OE matter, however, depends on what you plan to do. If you're just sending and receiving messages, they probably don't.
Good e-mail programs have filters that can automatically sort, delete or even respond to an incoming message, depending on who it is from, what words are in the subject line, the date it was sent or even words contained in the message.
I'll go over what I consider to be key features in a good e-mail program to help you decide if you'll benefit by changing programs, and to better understand the features of programs you may already have.
I get a lot of e-mail, many with misspelled words. I guess people don't realize that most major e-mail programs have built-in spell checkers. Eudora Light doesn't have a built-in spell checker, but you can download one for $14.95 from Qualcomm's Web site.
The current Windows version of America Online doesn't have a spell checker, although the soon-to-be released Windows 95 4.0 version will. The Mac version has a spell checker.
Although I prefer e-mail to voicemail, faxes and even paper mail, I sometimes find it a bit overwhelming. But I manage it by using a feature available on major e-mail programs that allows users to create folders to sort mail by category. The programs also have filters that can automatically sort, delete or even respond to an incoming message, depending on who it is from, what words are in the subject line, the date it was sent or even words contained in the message. As mail arrives, the filters evaluate the messages and respond with the actions you've programmed.
AOL's built-in e-mail software doesn't let you sort your mail, but AOL users can get extra e-mail horsepower by purchasing Claris Emailer for the Mac or E-Mail Connection (http://www.email-connection.com) for Windows.
Outlook Express' and Eudora's filters can be set up to automatically forward mail. I have an assistant who helps me with one of my projects, so when people send me mail about that project, a copy automatically goes to her. Netscape does not include this feature.
Outlook's and Eudora Pro's filters also can trigger the programs to send a special message. People who subscribe to my newsletter get a "welcome" message, and those who "unsubscribe" get a confirmation that their name will be taken off the list. Eudora Pro has several more filter options, including to print, play a sound or open a file.
I've created filters to automatically sort junk mail ("spam"), but it's hard to predict what spammers will put in their subject line or text. But it is possible to filter messages from e-mail addresses of known pests.
In Netscape, you set a filter by selecting "Mail Filter" from the Edit menu. In Outlook Express, you create them by selecting "Inbox Assistant" from the Tools Menu. In Eudora, you select "Filters" from the Tools menu.
All three programs support pop mail and IMAP. With these protocols, your e-mail program can fetch your mail from any compatible Internet service provider -- even if you're not signed on to it. I'm writing this column from a hotel room in London, but thanks to pop mail, I can send and receive e-mail through my local ISP even though I'm not signed on to that service.
Outlook Express and Eudora can handle multiple e-mail accounts, which is handy if two or more people share a computer or if you have more than one e-mail account.
Netscape, Outlook Express and Eudora Pro programs support HTML mail, which means you can include Web graphics in your mail. Netscape has a slick implantation that allows you to paste graphics directly into your file. All three programs support rich or enhanced text, such as bold colors and a choice of typefaces and sizes. Another advanced feature in these programs is Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, which is like directory assistance for e-mail. These programs can use the Internet to try to locate a person's e-mail address.
Most e-mail programs let you attach files to your message, but you should do so sparingly. Because attached files are bigger than regular messages, they take longer to send and download and use up more Internet bandwidth.
If you're an AOL user, be sure to check out the service's Flashmail option. That allows you to write, read and respond to mail when you're not signed on to the service. It not only frees up your phone line, but also-unlike regular AOL mail-stores your messages on your hard drive so you can access them later. AOL will soon implement its Netmail service that will allow users to access mail via the Internet, even if they're not signed on to AOL.
Yahoo, Rocketmail and Hotmail let you access e-mail via the Web. You can get a free account with any of these services and use any Web browser to read mail directed to that account and to pick up your regular e-mail if it's pop-compliant. I've used all three, and I'm most impressed by Yahoo's mail service (go to http://www.yahoo.com and click on "e-mail"). Yahoo mail has a spell checker, folders and most of the features available in stand-alone programs. And because you access it on the Web, you don't have to be at your own PC.
(Lawrence J. Magid can be reached at magid@latimes.com. His Web page is at http://www.larrysworld.com)
(c) 1997, Los Angeles Times Syndicate
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