What's your email client usage history?

[Renai]

hey everyone,

welcome to the Delimiter forum! If you don't know what this form is, there's some more info here.

I thought I'd get things kicked off in this section of the forum by asking people a question I haven't heard answered comprehensively, really. I mean, on Delimiter we've had constant discussions about what the best email platform is, but not what people's personal history of usage has been. I'll list my own here as an example.

I started off back in about 1991 or so with Eudora (don't ask me which version, but it was in black and white) for the Mac as my first email client. It was basic, it just did what it needed to do, and I liked it. I think I actually still have the email archives from it sitting around somewhere. If I remember correctly, they might have even been in plain text format!

I stuck with Eudora for a long time, even as it got a new colour scheme, and continued with it when I shifted to a PC in the late 1990's. However, at some point around there I shifted to Linux on the desktop, and so started using Kmail, an excellent email client which is part of the KDE desktop environment.

Of course, I was working by that stage, and predominantly using Lotus Notes, although I was also at uni, so I was using Pine as well. Later on Mutt saw some usage, and I still consider Mutt one of the best email clients out there. At other workplaces I also had some exposure to GroupWise. Outlook really wasn't on the scene at that point.

However, at this point (the earlier years of this decade), things became a lot more like they are today. At some point I started using Thunderbird at home and Outlook at different workplaces, and this kinda seemed to be the dominant paradigm for a while. Then, as soon as Gmail came out, I got an invite from a friend and switched to using Gmail full-time. I haven't really looked back from that point -- Gmail has been my full-time email client for a long time.

When I started Delimiter in January 2010, I used Outlook for a while, and I like it a lot, but eventually I started spending a lot of time out of the office on the road, and I just needed something I could access via the web - all of my archives, instantly searchable etc. So I moved to Google Apps for your domain, which is what I use today.

I still have a fondness for Thunderbird, but I don't really like desktop email clients at this point -- I don't see the point of them when most everything can be done via the web. I get a lot of email -- Google says "Using 4142 MB of your 7605 MB".

Anyway, that's my personal email client history. I've used many different clients. Perhaps my favourite remains Kmail, for its simplicity, but it's just not as functional as Gmail at this point.

Over to you!

[PointZeroOne]

I'm fuzzy on the dates, but I recall we used to use Eudora at home 15 or so years ago because that's what Dad's work used.

When I got my own email account I used Yahoo web client then hotmail web client.

Then moved over to gmail web client.

I've played around with desktop clients but I found them more annoying than useful.


Through the places I've worked at I've only been exposed to Lotus Notes as a mail client. That's desktop and web versions of it.

[Renai]

I remember when I was at high school a lot of people were getting Hotmail accounts. I didn't consider that real email -- real email was hosted at an ISP and was downloaded to an email client. Even back then, I didn't trust Hotmail

[PointZeroOne]

Back then didn't really have many people to email so it was more used for signing up to stuff

[bryn]

I first had a start.com.au email account, web based. Never really used it. ~1999

Then went with ISP email (winsoft.net.au) using Outlook Express.

Then (briefly) a TPG account, also in Outlook Express.

Then my own domain (which I still use), in Thunderbird initially with a cheap webhost.

Then I moved from cheap hosting to Kerio Mailserver in Thunderbird & quickly moved to Outlook as Contacts/Calendars didn't work in Thunderbird (Kerio is an Exchange replacement).

Stuck with that for a while, during a computer swap was web only for a while (Kerio has a decent web interface) and then Apple Mail.

[Renai]

Interesting; how do you find Apple Mail as a client? I've never seriously used it.

[Thrawn]

I used Pine a bit while at Uni. But mostly used Outlook Express over the years.

Generally work email is Outlook, occasionally Groupwise for some customers. Recently my work email is hosted in Google Apps, so I use the web interface or Thunderbird (both sucks in their own way).

I've had my own domain name for personal email for a fair while now. Used to have a fairly elaborate Email server configuration until the server died last year and I couldn't be stuffed fixing it.

[Renai]

The one thing that always really annoyed me about Thunderbird was the fact that it was hard to take Thunderbird archives and easily transfer them, as you can in Outlook with PST files. There is a lack of portability between email clients still which I think should have been solved with a common format by now.

[mwyres]

Oh, I am going to sound so old now.

The first email client I used was mailx - LOL - unix command line client.

Then I became a fan of Pine - unix, but menu-driven.

Also different versions of Pegasus mail on Windows/DOS systems.

Getting into corporate land, then I copped Wang VS Mail...eugh - which was replaced with Lotus Notes v4.

Around various jobs I've varied between different versions of Exchange/Outlook, GroupWise, and Lotus Notes.

Personally, I've used Thunderbird in later years, but these days I use AfterLogic Webmail on my own server.

Now, I've got an appointment to pick up my walking frame from the mechanic, so I'll be back later.

[Dean Harding]

I can't remember the exact order in which I used them, but here's a basic break-down, in rough chronological order:

- Eudora for Windows was the first program I used, at home.
- When I went to Uni, I used a bunch of different email clients but mostly pine and mutt. Pine was probably easier to use, but I liked mutt's more powerful features.
- In the corporate world, for the first 10 years or so of my career I used Outlook almost exclusively. Both with Exchange and (at a smaller place) as a POP client (I know, right?)
- Now-a-days we use GMail exclusively where I work (if you know where I work, it should be obvious why that is...) and I actually think it's better than anything I've used previously.

At first, I thought having my email on my phone, on my computer at home and basically everywhere meant that you're basically "always at work". But once you take the time to set up your filters and stuff so that only important emails end up coming to your phone, and the fact that you can clear your inbox on the bus to work makes the day seem so much less hectic :-)

[Insomniac]

I've tried so many different clients over the years, but I'm pretty sure Eudora was my first as well. As for hosts my first ISP and email provider was a tiny Hobart company called "TrumpNet". They were exclusively dial-up and went bankrupt as soon as ADSL became widely available.

After Eudora I played leapfrog with Outlook and Thunderbird as each version released seemed to entice me back with various features. Ultimately once I was a die-hard Firefox user I found Thunderbird was obviously the best fit, and it's support for such a wide range of plugins made it a very cool client.

Then along came Gmail and everything changed. Suddenly webmail didn't suck any more, and filters made folders look ancient. Gradually I started importing my old mail, using Google Calendar and contacts, and then once I got an iPhone, the ease at which I could have push mail, contacts and calendars synced with my phone using the Exchange protocol was mind-blowing and I've never used anything else since. Gmail setup with the right labs features and web browser extensions is unbeatable, whether used in Chrome or Firefox, nothing else comes close.

The only software client I now use is the basic Apple email client on my iPhone 4. From every other device I access all my Google services via web browser.

[bryn]

Interesting; how do you find Apple Mail as a client? I've never seriously used it.

Its not too bad. IMAP gets a little unhappy if you have shedloads of mail but that applies to most mail programs. It supports exchange via web services (ie Exchange 2007/2010) if you use that but I use it for Kerio via IMAP (plus iCal for calendars via CALDAV & CARDAV for address book).

I use Mail with the Letterbox plugin (Harnly.net) that gives me alternating line colours (a must) and widescreen layout if you want it... I think Lion Mail has this native.

iCal has a couple of annoying things (can't set default calendar for new events).

[celcius32]

Started off in the mid 90's with Eudora.

Then Outlook followed by Thunderbird.

When I switched over to Mac, was using Mail for about 2 years then Thunderbird, a few others but have settled on Postbox, which has the Thunderbird email engine but skinned differently.

Still on the look out for a good mail client on Mac.

[Renai]

Started off in the mid 90's with Eudora.

Then Outlook followed by Thunderbird.

When I switched over to Mac, was using Mail for about 2 years then Thunderbird, a few others but have settled on Postbox, which has the Thunderbird email engine but skinned differently.

Still on the look out for a good mail client on Mac.

Interesting -- I was looking at Postbox as well to archive my Gmail to my PC. What would you say are the advantages over Thunderbird etc?

[Renai]

I've tried so many different clients over the years, but I'm pretty sure Eudora was my first as well. As for hosts my first ISP and email provider was a tiny Hobart company called "TrumpNet". They were exclusively dial-up and went bankrupt as soon as ADSL became widely available.

After Eudora I played leapfrog with Outlook and Thunderbird as each version released seemed to entice me back with various features. Ultimately once I was a die-hard Firefox user I found Thunderbird was obviously the best fit, and it's support for such a wide range of plugins made it a very cool client.

Then along came Gmail and everything changed. Suddenly webmail didn't suck any more, and filters made folders look ancient. Gradually I started importing my old mail, using Google Calendar and contacts, and then once I got an iPhone, the ease at which I could have push mail, contacts and calendars synced with my phone using the Exchange protocol was mind-blowing and I've never used anything else since. Gmail setup with the right labs features and web browser extensions is unbeatable, whether used in Chrome or Firefox, nothing else comes close.

The only software client I now use is the basic Apple email client on my iPhone 4. From every other device I access all my Google services via web browser.

Re Gmail: This has pretty much been my exact experience as well. I only use the web interface -- except on my iPhone or iPad. A lot of people don't like it, but I get hundreds of emails a day and it's perfect for what I need. My only complaint, really, is that the speed at which they are developing it seems to have died off -- new features seemed to come through Labs, but now they've slowed to a trickle. I wonder what will happen with it long-term.

[Mattee]

Wow... Eudora... I'd almost forgotten that baby.

Well Eudora was my first email client... it was colour, and on PC... I believe I was one of Mr Turnbull's clients at the time.

Eudora gave way to Outlook around the 1993(?) mark, cause I 'found' a copy of it installed on my system one morning

For a few years I jumped between outlook and Netscape Navigator's eMail client (now the Thunderbird project).

(EDIT) - The reason for this fluctuation can be directly attributed to the waxing and waning of my love(?) of Micro$oft.

Outlook and Outlook Express have been the stable for about 15 years now... with some intervention by Thunderbird and its predecessor

Although on this system - running Windows 8 Developer Preview, I'm using Windows Live mail client.

Best email client on a portable device has to be Mail on the iPhone.

[tobes]

My experience differs a bit from you folks, perhaps I was just younger and hence didn't have my own ISP account or something.

I started with a Hotmail account back in '97 and switched to Yahoo Mail a couple of years later. I suffered through the uni webmail system and used pine for those glorious accounts that allowed it, compsci namely. In the last year or so I've finally gotten jack of yahoo and switched to using Gmail full time, although everything still goes through my yahoo account.

Aside from a brief foray with Lotus in high school everything work related for me has been Outlook.

I've spent many many years supporting Eudora for my father until a couple of years ago when he switched to using the Mac Mail client and I've got mum using Thunderbird.

I think Gmail is by far the best web mail but mainly because it is fast and very rarely goes down. Prior to Yahoo going down the gurgler it was superior to Gmail IMHO.

[David W. Campbell]

I never really used a client except when forced to use outlook with exchange at work, I find the thought of nailing down email to a desktop tedious... Also I was younger and with divorced parents and main computer access being at school I was constantly on different machines so web-based was the only thing that made sense. The only thing I have used clients for is temporarily to migrate email from one account to another using IMAP, aside from that I have always used a web-based interface... I believe my journey was something like

1. hotmail
2. start.com.au
3. MANY MANY MANY random startup email places that I didn't stay at for long after start.com.au collapsed and I scrambled for a decent service
4. my own domain (generally with squirelmail on various shared hosts)
5. gmail with my email directed into the gmail account, and smtp out setup for my own domain, also setup pop3 retrieval of various ISP accounts etc.
6. google apps (currently still in use for various domains including for Pirate Party Australia)
7. frustration with google apps lack of google+ (exactly 3 days before it was GOD DAMNED ENABLED I migrated away) and other anoyances lead me back to step 5 again and thats where I will remain for a long time I think because my youtube channel and all of my android purchases are nailed to that gmail account... slightly frustraiting inability to move purchases and youtube channels to other accounts is outweighed for me by the general convenience of google products that I use... for now. And of course using outlook at work for exchange, personally I find that the android client is far more pleasent to use with exchange than outlook, but thats personal opinion.

[dettol]

I use Gmail, my earliest received mail was on the 27/04/2006 from Gmail after setting it up without one of those "invitations" that Google sent out. Up to that date, I could not create the account and since then I have not used anything else.

Yahoo was a pain at the time, because of it's lack of reliability, and was banned by some learning institutions in SA because of security concerns.

I much prefer this, than any desktop client.