I primarily use Google Mail and am quite happy with the web based email. I would like to know why I should use a program like Apple Mail to do my emailing? Why should I waste the extra bit of RAM. What advantages are there with a dedicated program?
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Why should I use Apple Mail
- Thread starter dingdongbubble
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Especially if you use Growl (pop-up notifications upon certain events in certain applications), you never have to use Safari (or open Mail) ever again to check your email.
Yeah but you will have to configure your client all over again when you reinstall or something. And web based mail would take only one or two more clicks and very quick set up on a new computer and its cross platform.
I can keep a bookmark on my browser main window and just open my browser click on gmail and there it is.
I can keep a bookmark on my browser main window and just open my browser click on gmail and there it is.
If you plan on still using Google mail thru the web interface, I wouldn't recommend that you use Mail.app
IMO, it's a PITA to keep everything in sync with POP services like Google. (i.e. you delete/file something in Mail.app, it'll show up in webmail as undeleted/unfiled -- and vice-versa).
I love my Google mail, though, so I have it forwarded to my .Mac
I use Apple Mail because ...
1) I don't trust that Google can give me access all the time forever. If they ever have to shut down my account/have downtime, I can read my emails offline.
2) I don't have to open a browser to see that I have x messages, and I don't have to clutter my menu bar with a widget.
3) It's easier to make backups of your mails by exporting them from Apple Mail.
4) I feel safer that a third party doesn't read my information if I remove it from the server.
1) I don't trust that Google can give me access all the time forever. If they ever have to shut down my account/have downtime, I can read my emails offline.
2) I don't have to open a browser to see that I have x messages, and I don't have to clutter my menu bar with a widget.
3) It's easier to make backups of your mails by exporting them from Apple Mail.
4) I feel safer that a third party doesn't read my information if I remove it from the server.
I go all out and delete my message after it gets POPped to Apple Mail, but you can have it archived too. It's hard to keep two filing systems, so I chose Apple Mail to do it instead of the web interface.aristobrat said:
Not really, you can back up your mail folders and preferences. This is what i've been doing and as soon as i copy and past the relevant files in relevant places and click on the mail icon, it picks up right where i left off. No configuration needed.
Why? Because I said so, young man. 
Use whatever you want. I never liked web mail in general because I feel like I'm downloading my mail and attachments constantly rather than just once, and it seems like its harder to look for old stuff. But web mail has come a long way obviously since I first tried it in 1995 or so, especially in the search capabilities, so there's probably parity now. And sure, its nice to be able to log in anywhere and check your mail I guess.
Honestly, most people just use what they've always used, because its too much trouble to switch, and most options work fine.
Use whatever you want. I never liked web mail in general because I feel like I'm downloading my mail and attachments constantly rather than just once, and it seems like its harder to look for old stuff. But web mail has come a long way obviously since I first tried it in 1995 or so, especially in the search capabilities, so there's probably parity now. And sure, its nice to be able to log in anywhere and check your mail I guess.
Honestly, most people just use what they've always used, because its too much trouble to switch, and most options work fine.
If you're perfectly happy with Gmail, why bother asking others to talk you into using something else. Use what you like. In fact, go ahead and install the Gmail Notifier as well. I have it for my Gmail account, and love it. Although it took me a while to find it the first time. LOL. (hint: look up)
I use both. I only use Gmail for shopping, forum registration, etc. Basically stuff that can potentially result in a lot of spam.
I use Mail because I have somewhat complex setup...
I have 4 business Email addresses. All are POP3 accounts. I also have SpamArrest, which dials up and checks those 4 POP3 boxes for me. The actual Email address I check is myusername@spamarrest.com - Since my addresses are all business ones, I need to have my company domain names in outgoing mail, rather than spamarrest.com
I'm able to configure Mail to check my spamarrest Email box. When I reply, the reply automatically comes FROM the address it was originally sent to. Very cool. Outlook didn't even do that. I had to specify which address to send from, when I used Outlook/Win.
I use both. I only use Gmail for shopping, forum registration, etc. Basically stuff that can potentially result in a lot of spam.
I use Mail because I have somewhat complex setup...
I have 4 business Email addresses. All are POP3 accounts. I also have SpamArrest, which dials up and checks those 4 POP3 boxes for me. The actual Email address I check is myusername@spamarrest.com - Since my addresses are all business ones, I need to have my company domain names in outgoing mail, rather than spamarrest.com
I'm able to configure Mail to check my spamarrest Email box. When I reply, the reply automatically comes FROM the address it was originally sent to. Very cool. Outlook didn't even do that. I had to specify which address to send from, when I used Outlook/Win.
Another cool tip about Gmail...
You can get a free Gmail personal-domain account that allows you to host up to 100 users on any domain you own... All using the Gmail interface. It's a feature we offer our members at NASCARdiac.com
You can get a free Gmail personal-domain account that allows you to host up to 100 users on any domain you own... All using the Gmail interface. It's a feature we offer our members at NASCARdiac.com
A little OT, but is IMAP any better? And what email services offer IMAP? I use web mail right now just for this very reason of being able to view my mail from anywhere and keep it all in sync.
I'm not familiar with IMAP, but can't you just tell your Email clients to leave the mail on the server until you deleted it? My business partner is after IMAP for having his stuff in sync, and I can't figure out why my POP3 solution of leaving the mail on the server won't work.
Yes, it will work leaving the mail on the POP server, but then if you delete it from one email client or from web mail it still shows up everywhere else. If I want to run mail.app on my desktop, my laptop, and outlook at work, plus web mail from anywhere else, I would have several places to have to go to delete a file.
I personally love IMAP, and even pay for it. I wish GMail would switch to IMAP, even if it's a paid-for service.
I had it a while back, with mailblocks.com and really didn't know what it was then, just that it worked great. AOL bought them out, and that was that.
I switched to fusemail.com about a year ago and love it. The thing I love about IMAP is that I can check it anywhere, and everything stays where I left it. If I check my email at school and reply to an email, when I get home and check it on my PC with Thunderbird, the sent message is there and the email is marked "replied" and "read." Same thing when I go to my MacBook and open Mail.
There's another IMAP service out there that's sort of popular, I think it's fastmail.ca (or some .something). I've read in forums where it goes down sometimes, but I've never really looked into it. Fusemail, though, will actually go to your Yahoo and Hotmail accounts and pull your emails from there, so I really only have to check my Fusemail account. I have my Gmail forwarded to it (because I can), so I can keep it open, in the hopes that one day, it will turn IMAP.
There's also instant notification, but I'm not too sure how that works. I could never figure it out properly on my Treo using ChatterMail, and on Thunderbird and Mail, I have it set to check every minute, so it doesn't have "instant notification" like I always read about. Maybe fusemail doesn't support it, maybe I'm doing something wrong.
I had it a while back, with mailblocks.com and really didn't know what it was then, just that it worked great. AOL bought them out, and that was that.
I switched to fusemail.com about a year ago and love it. The thing I love about IMAP is that I can check it anywhere, and everything stays where I left it. If I check my email at school and reply to an email, when I get home and check it on my PC with Thunderbird, the sent message is there and the email is marked "replied" and "read." Same thing when I go to my MacBook and open Mail.
There's another IMAP service out there that's sort of popular, I think it's fastmail.ca (or some .something). I've read in forums where it goes down sometimes, but I've never really looked into it. Fusemail, though, will actually go to your Yahoo and Hotmail accounts and pull your emails from there, so I really only have to check my Fusemail account. I have my Gmail forwarded to it (because I can), so I can keep it open, in the hopes that one day, it will turn IMAP.
There's also instant notification, but I'm not too sure how that works. I could never figure it out properly on my Treo using ChatterMail, and on Thunderbird and Mail, I have it set to check every minute, so it doesn't have "instant notification" like I always read about. Maybe fusemail doesn't support it, maybe I'm doing something wrong.
You can leave stuff on the server but once you delete something or read or move something it isn't automatically done on the servers like IMAP. Basically keeping stuff in sync across various clients requires a lot of labour but with IMAP whatever/whereever changes are made, they are automatically updated on the server.
AOL is the most popular mail service i know that offers IMAP
Sync
Is it possible to sync them all? Like if I delete a message in MAil then it gets deleted in gmail as well?
Is it possible to sync them all? Like if I delete a message in MAil then it gets deleted in gmail as well?
I have tried Gmail thru the Mail client. I'm back to the webased interface.
It is much easier to manage. I do not have to reproduce the rules or create special rule so as not to redirect..my own sent messages that are in the Gmail inbox due to the thread method.
Plus i like how all Google services are homogeneous I now use the Google Notifer for mac from which I can easily manage mail and calendar.
What I'd recommend is to set gmail via a mail client once a year and set it to leave your messages online. That's quite a nice way to make a yearly backup of your emails.
But yeh the online interface is easy and fast enough for me to directly access
It is much easier to manage. I do not have to reproduce the rules or create special rule so as not to redirect..my own sent messages that are in the Gmail inbox due to the thread method.
Plus i like how all Google services are homogeneous I now use the Google Notifer for mac from which I can easily manage mail and calendar.
What I'd recommend is to set gmail via a mail client once a year and set it to leave your messages online. That's quite a nice way to make a yearly backup of your emails.
But yeh the online interface is easy and fast enough for me to directly access