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Thread: Thunderbird Vs Outlook Vs Gmail

  1. #1

    Thunderbird Vs Outlook Vs Gmail

    Looking to replace my current email with either Outlook , GMail or Thunderbird. I know outlook and gmail are email programs, but is Thunderbird also email or some sort of email management software ?

  2. #2
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    Thunderbird is an eMail program. I use and like it. I prefer over Outlook.
    Shawn

    "no trees were harmed in the creation of this message, however some electrons were temporarily inconvenienced."

    "I resent having to use my brain to do your thinking"

  3. #3
    I like the Outlook client that is in Office, I like the way handle contacts, the calendar is really nice, great spell checking and general formatting are great..
    I have been using it for a long time and I just don't think I could switch to anything else.

  4. #4
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    Thunderbird is terrific, and has fewer security problems than outlook . Nuff said.
    gmail is very nice, especially for the way it filters spam and virii. Google is snooping in your mail, tho' in all likelihood if you use it. You know "do no evil" and all that.
    Paul

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    Like any software, everyone has a favorite. I have not used standalone Outlook in several years but do use it at work with the benefits of an Exchange server. Previous use as a standalone was pretty pathetic. If this is just for personal use I would use Thunderbird if privacy were a concern. I would use Gmail if I needed ease and consistency from a number different platforms that may or may not be mine. As it is I use many clients that synchronize to a greater or lesser degree depending what I use them for.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  6. #6
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    I've used Thunderbird for years. It'll work with gmail, there's a plug-in that's supposed to work with exchange server, it has a calendar add-on though I've never tried using it except on a local machine. A useful feature of recent Thunderbird versions is it remembers settings for many email providers. I have accounts with two providers, ISP and one other. In each case when I install Thunderbird, I just enter my name & email address, Thunderbird asks for provider confirmation and fills in all the account/server stuff automagically.

    I had an experience that illustrates the risk with the 'cloud'/webmail only. I had a lavabit account using IMAP, Thunderbird kept a copy on the local machine. The Feds supposedly were after Lavabit to let them snoop certain accounts, Edward Snowden being one. Lavabit was set up so that NO ONE except the account owner could access their email including the administrator of the site, everything was encrypted on the server and the owner did not have a key. The owner pulled the plug with no warning rather than allow a tap. He's under a gag order so what really happened is all speculation. If I didn't have a local copy I'd have no idea which sites or accounts used the lavabit email account.
    Last edited by Curt Harms; 08-24-2013 at 8:04 AM.

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    I've used thunderbird for years and have been very happy with it. It will remember junk mail you mark and remove future junk mail from the same sender automatically. It is also less prone to attack by virus programs than Outlook. You can import all your addresses from most other email programs when you set it up.
    Lee Schierer
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    Thunderbird and Outlook are email programs that you install on your computer and then configure to access your various existing email accounts. Gmail is an email provider. Microsoft has recently started outlook.com which is similar to gmail, and is taking the place of hotmail. There are several of these email providers, Yahoo mail, zoho mail are just a few. These usually have a web based interface and you do not have to install anything extra on your computer to access your mail other than your browser.
    Outlook.com is not the same as the program Outlook. Outlook comes as a part of Microsoft Office, but can be purchased separately. Outlook is more than an email client though, it also has a calendar (sort of like a day timer appointment book) and task list, along with other stuff that integrates with the other office apps.
    Your internet provider most likely also provides email accounts for you as a part of their service. I have Cox and I get up to 5 included email accounts from them, you can add more for a fee. You can access these accounts via your ISPs web site or add them to your email client's list of accounts. If you have several email accounts, a program like Thunderbird makes it easy to access all of them from one place and provides a really nice interface to your email. However web based email is getting better and better all the time, to the point where many people are dumping their dedicated programs for web based ones.
    It really has come to whatever you like the best. They all work well. Hopefully I have cleared up some of your confusion.
    Larry J Browning
    There are 10 kinds of people in this world; Those who understand binary and those who don't.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shawn Pixley View Post
    Thunderbird is an eMail program. I use and like it. I prefer over Outlook.
    I use and like Thunderbird and prefer it to anything microsoft or other. You can put as many email accounts into it as you may have. The other thing is it does not originate from Microsoft and these days, with rumors of backdoors in their programs I prefer not to use Outlook. But that said who knows if and when a company becomes compromised by "big brother".
    Last edited by Chuck Wintle; 08-24-2013 at 9:43 AM.

  10. #10
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    I use Yahoo for email, and Chrome for a browser.

    I doubt the NSA could care less about what I write, or what I read.
    If you really want encryption and security, search TOR/Duck Duck Go and Host your own email server.

    (I just consider any of my internet traffic as compromised, and treat content accordingly.)

  11. #11
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    Privacy is important to me, but I think the trade off in using a convenient, web based mail that filters spam and virii effectively is a good trade off. I am aware that my communications by email may not be private, and behave myself accordingly.
    Paul

  12. #12
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    I like web based email as I travel and can retrieve my email anywhere.

  13. #13
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    Thunderbird and Outlook are email clients that need to run on a PC. You still need an email account to use with Thunderbird or Outlook.

    Gmail is an email service that is primarily web based although you can use Thunderbird or Outlook to download your Gmail email. You can also use the Gmail web interface to download mail from other email accounts, but that is certainly not the primary use for Gmail.

  14. #14
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    Another vote for Thunderbird. It was so easy to install and transfer my stuff from an outlook program. I love the way it handles spam. Can not ask anything more from a free program or one you buy.

  15. #15
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    Thunderbird is the "open source" (free) version of Outlook. I use both and Outlook has nothing over Thunderbird. And Thunderbird is free!

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