No really… This time I mean it!
I had written previously about Outlook being the gold standard for connectivity to all manner of smartphones; that’s still true, but I have to confess that Outlook’s shiny bells and whistles momentarily blinded me to the danger of its proprietary database format for storing my precious messages. And no sooner did I publish my gushing review when Outlook gave me a warning that my ten-year archive of saved email was in danger of being corrupted!
As the saying goes, fool me once…
Thunderbird has the distinct advantage of being the only email client available for Linux, Mac and Windows. If that’s not good enough for you, here are some specific reasons why it’s better than what you’re using right now:
- If you’re using Gmail, don’t be so smug… Big Brother is watching you!
- If you’re using Hotmail, Yahoo! or some other web-based client, whatcha gonna do when you’re mailbox is full, or when the powers that be decide to start charging you for reading your own messages?
- If you’re using Outlook Express for Windows or Mac, you’re just asking for trouble…
- If you’re using Eudora, be warned that it severs the attachments from your messages and puts them in a separate directory—changing your machine or even the name of your hard drive might forever break the link between the two!
- If you’re using Apple Mail, you’ll be disappointed that you won’t be able to search your messages from the other overpriced Macs on your network… Or easily migrate to Thunderbird when the other cool kids do it!
- If you’re using Outlook proper, you’d better have an Exchange Server along with an IT department to clean up the mess you’re gonna make. Oh, and prepare to defend yourself against the bulk of the internet’s malicious email attacks…
- And if you’re using Evolution, KMail or some other Linux email client you’d best get your ass out to the sauna and check on that fondue, ya damned hippie!
Okay, I’ll admit that I know little or nothing about those last two, but all my other reasons for switching to Thunderbird are valid. I really do have an archive of saved email that reaches back into the last millennium, so I speak from experience when I say this:
For once and future emails, Thunderbird is king!
Andrew Currie 
3 responses to “Best Email Client Ever. Period.”
Agreed. After much pissing and moaning, I switched over to Thunderbird about a year ago, and I’ve never been happier with a program. I like that it saves my email contacts even when I forget to!
I had to wonder what you were smokin’ with that endorsement of Outlook but politely backed away. I’ve been using Thunderbird for about three years now and love it. Watch out where you store your local mail I prefer not to use “my documents” or maybe it was the c:\programs\ which was I think the default … and I got confused when I got a new computer.
But it’s very solid, I taught it what to delete as Junk, and it manages all my accounts from one place. Gold!
AC:
I, too, will be switching from Apple Mail to Thunderbird, once I get my Dell moved over to Linux….
Ed