Computer question...

[fajrdrako]

I have a question for those here who are more experienced with computers than I am.

What is the difference between "Outlook Express" and "Microsoft Outlook"? Which should I be using for my daily e-mail?

I have both. I was using "Outlook Express". "Microsoft Outlook" looks pretty cool, but I don't want to change over until I have more of a sense of 'what's the difference' and 'will I regret it?'

Comments

[emmavartdal.livejournal.com]

Outlook (vs Outlook Express) is more than just email, it's diaries, syncronizing with mobile phones, and loads of other stuff(I haven't used wither for years now though).

It is also said that Outlook(the non-express variant) is less prone to viruses, but again, I can't really comment on it.

Try it, you many, many people swear by Outlook, but mostly business people. I don't think you'd regret it. You should try it out to make sure though.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Thanks, that was the kind of information I was looking for.

[silveraspen]

As emmavartdal said, Outlook is the more business-oriented version of the software, while Outlook Express (OE) is the free version that comes bundled with Internet Explorer.

Outlook will allow you to keep a calendar, a series of notes, a task list, as well as full email functionality; it can connect to corporate email servers as well as standard Internet-style POP3 ones, and can be synchronized with PDA devices such as Palm Pilots.

They're both about equally prone to viruses that are targeted at the email side of things; OE might be more susceptible to things that are targeted towards Internet Explorer weaknesses, due to its integration.

I do tech support and have dealt with both for several years now; let me know if I can be of any help.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the explanation, and thanks particularly for the offer of help. I think I'll try Microsoft Outlook because it looks very useful. That's how I become aware I had it - it's just a recent acquisition, I didn't realize it was packaged with the Microsoft office stuff, or didn't realize what it was - but when I plugged in my pocket PC, there it was.

Hmm, are you someone I can ask for advice from in using my pocket PC as well? It's a wonderful machine but sometimes baffles me.

[silveraspen]

Hmm, are you someone I can ask for advice from in using my pocket PC as well? It's a wonderful machine but sometimes baffles me.

It depends on the model how helpful I can be, but I'm certainly willing to try. :) I've worked with a variety, including BlackBerry, Treo, iPaq, and several types of Palm, and I'm good with generic troubleshooting as well.

[adamlizz.livejournal.com]

Which should I be using for my daily e-mail?

Eudora. Trust me.

If you need more help or info, ceruleancat will be glad to help :)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

*Groan* - that complicates the issue! Why is Eudora better?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It's a Hewlett-Packard Jordana 540. No problems with it at present except in figuring out commands - I'm finding it problematic to get in and out of files (in Internet Explorer, for example). FUmbling but - so far - coping.

[ceruleancat.livejournal.com]

I also recommend Eudora, if you're looking for a program to do your mail and not other stuff. If you need diaries and so on, there are additional progs. Why?

Eudora is considered by experts to be the best email software. It's easy to install, easy to use and easy to back up. You can access and back up your mail outside the program - which is impossible with outlook versions.

Outlook (regardless of version) is a virus trap - most email viruses target it. Most email viruses won't activate on eudora even if they're not caught at the door by your AV prog.

Outlook has an upper limit which makes it crash randomly when a certain size of some file is hit, and corrupt your mail folders.

If you have more questions, I'll be glad to answer.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Thank you for an answer that lays it out - I didn't know these things. If I have Outlook as, say, a diary and so on, but use Eudora for my e-mail, would I be comparatively virus-safe?

I recently had a virus that Norton Anti-Virus couldn't handle, and had to take my computer in to the shop. I am told that AVG is better than Norton for catching and dealing with viruses. Is that true?

Where do I get Eudora?

[yakalskovich]

You download Eudora from here:
http://www.eudora.com/

It's free (if you chose the "sponsored mode", which just means small and unobtrusive ads), and it really works, and it doesn't do THINGS to your computer the way the effing Outlook does.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the URL! I'll check it out.

[ceruleancat.livejournal.com]

Like someone already said, eudora is in eudora.com.
There's a paid mode, a sponsored mode with ads, and a light mode, that has no ads and you don't get some features like a spellchecker.
This is the one I use. You don't have to dl separate progs - it's all in one, and after installation you choose a setting, which means you can see how like the light or sponsored modes and you can always change.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me (ceruleancatt on aim, and there is some icq number too.)

re AV - any AV is affected by how you keep it updated and working. If you don't have various options selected, viruses can sneak in, and there's always the odd new virus that hasn't been added yet to the virus list, if you're unlucky to catch it too early.
AVG is considered the best free AV prog, and there's another excellent free prog. I can look up the name if you want.
But nothing is foolproof. You just have to put up a variety of defences and avoid software that's more vulnerable.

re outlook - i'd look for another calander program and avoid using outlook at all. It's just a messy troublesome program in terms of programing and security - so why risk it? Besides, it has an annoying tendency to regularly try and hijack your email definitions when it's installed, when it isn't set as the default mail program. I remove it from every installation of windows I get. (It comes as a part of windows, IE and office, so you ahve to remove it a lot.)