MAC Mail Help

[butterwm]

We have an iMAC for a home computer and both of us have a MacBook Air. We decided to use MAC Mail for the primary e-mail over Outlook for MAC. In the PC world, you are able to create a .pst file on Outlook that is where all your e-mail is saved too when you check your mail. In turn, you are able to link that .pst file amongst other computers on your network and see all your e-mail from any computer. (The only limitation with that setup is that only one computer at a time can have that file open)

We are looking to do a similar setup with the MACS and are new to the MAC/OS X world. Can someone tell me how this is done?

 

[tootall]

easier on a mac

Everything can get synced with iCloud and backup are done with time machine

 

[butterwm]

Now with iCloud, we both have separate profiles on the iMAC and our own apple id's. We did that so we're not loading each others music and apps on our phones when we sync. So if we share a home e-mail account and set it up with the Mail program when someone checks mail in there profile, won't it download it off the mail server to the mail program? If that's the case, when the other person logs in and checks the mail won't it be spread apart in both profiles? Hopefully this doesn't sound too confusing and makes sense.

 

[JediMeister]

Email accounts that use IMAP can be set up on multiple systems without getting out of sync. What you read/delete on one system affects the server and through that any other computers that access the account. Email providers that still use POP however, can get out of sync if you try accessing it from more than one computer and have one computer set to remove the messages from the server. iCloud accounts (ending with @me.com), Gmail, and Yahoo are IMAP, Hotmail/MSN/Live and many local internet providers usually use POP. I was able to locate an Apple support article with some suggestions on how to set up POP for access from multiple devices/systems, maybe you can implement the steps it offers.

 

[robgendreau]

I agree; best way to do this is to get an IMAP account that you both share.
Some folks just use their street address or something @gmail.com.

Messages will come into the inbox and will be checked as "read" if only one of you reads it, but I'm unaware of any email program that can track which of two or more people sharing an account have checked it off. At least it will stay in the inbox and be accessible via phone, iPad, computer or whatever and you can design a system to move it once it's been read twice.

 

[icoffee]

Imap is best but if you want a more pst like way of doing it
http://www.macinstruct.com/node/183