Will Panther's MAIL Finally Beat Microsoft's ENTOURAGE?
I really enjoy the full features of Entourage right now, and still think that it has the current iteration of Apple's Mail program beat. The accumulation of features over time has given Entourage cool things like a "define" option when you command-click on a word and a little navigable dictionary window pops up with a definition in it. You can even copy/paste the definition into an email message.
The scripting of actions to execute when you receive email is really nice too, although I'd like to be able to apply custom sounds to play when I receive email from various senders.
Entourage has a built-in calendar/schedule feature, which for some reason I rarely ever use. The advantage of iCal is that you can publish your schedule to the web and trade schedules with other people. The big difference between iCal and Entourage's calendar is that the latter is part of the email program. No clearly defined advantage/disadvantage with that...but it would be nice to be able to have Apple's Mail program "reach into" iCal's data. And it would be nice to have an ever-present iCal drop-down interface available in the top right of the taskbar.
I think that I've read that iCal doesn't work with the current dev release of Panther, but I'm wondering if there's anyone who has installed Panther and has used Entourage at any point in the past who could give us a thorough evaluation of the new & improved dev release of Mail.
The scripting of actions to execute when you receive email is really nice too, although I'd like to be able to apply custom sounds to play when I receive email from various senders.
Entourage has a built-in calendar/schedule feature, which for some reason I rarely ever use. The advantage of iCal is that you can publish your schedule to the web and trade schedules with other people. The big difference between iCal and Entourage's calendar is that the latter is part of the email program. No clearly defined advantage/disadvantage with that...but it would be nice to be able to have Apple's Mail program "reach into" iCal's data. And it would be nice to have an ever-present iCal drop-down interface available in the top right of the taskbar.
I think that I've read that iCal doesn't work with the current dev release of Panther, but I'm wondering if there's anyone who has installed Panther and has used Entourage at any point in the past who could give us a thorough evaluation of the new & improved dev release of Mail.
Comments
Originally posted by drewprops
I really enjoy the full features of Entourage right now, and still think that it has the current iteration of Apple's Mail program beat. The accumulation of features over time has given Entourage cool things like a "define" option when you command-click on a word and a little navigable dictionary window pops up with a definition in it. You can even copy/paste the definition into an email message.
The scripting of actions to execute when you receive email is really nice too, although I'd like to be able to apply custom sounds to play when I receive email from various senders.
Entourage has a built-in calendar/schedule feature, which for some reason I rarely ever use. The advantage of iCal is that you can publish your schedule to the web and trade schedules with other people. The big difference between iCal and Entourage's calendar is that the latter is part of the email program. No clearly defined advantage/disadvantage with that...but it would be nice to be able to have Apple's Mail program "reach into" iCal's data. And it would be nice to have an ever-present iCal drop-down interface available in the top right of the taskbar.
I think that I've read that iCal doesn't work with the current dev release of Panther, but I'm wondering if there's anyone who has installed Panther and has used Entourage at any point in the past who could give us a thorough evaluation of the new & improved dev release of Mail.
Not until Mail/iCal/Address Book are as seamless as Entourage.
Entourage supposedly will be Exchange server compatible sometime this summer. Don't know if Mail will get there or not. Currently, I use Safari and use MS Web Outlook Express to get my mail from the server. This beats using Outlook but I can't use my AddressBook this way.
I am interested in seeing the new Mail in Panther. Threading will be nice and better rendering will also be great. I still prefer Mail to Entourage because of it's simplicity and the fact that I don't need a lot of bells and whistles. If you do, Entourage is loaded with them.
As a former Entourage user, I switched to Mail in Jaguar but had a few peeves (which I listed in a previous AI thread maybe Apple saw it...)
1. Performance is bit on the slow side.
2. Attachment were somewhere in the message, not separate from it.
3. You couldn't track a conversation, finding replies and previous messages on the same subject.
4. I kept having to copy and paste my sig, since Mail defaults to putting the sig at the bottom of the message window, rather than where the cursor is.
Panther apparently fixes everthing except #4. Since I never really used Entourage's Address Book or Calendar features (Filemaker and Palm Desktop were my apps of choice then) I think Mail is at the point where Entourage could be abandoned and almost no one would care.
That leaves Word and Excel as the only MS apps needed on the Mac. Redmond should be concerned, very concerned.
Oops! Problem #4 has been fixed. Panther Mail is now perfection!
Originally posted by Frank777
4. I kept having to copy and paste my sig, since Mail defaults to putting the sig at the bottom of the message window, rather than where the cursor is.
A little off-topic, but why has this bothered you? Where else does a signature belong but the bottom of the message?
Your reply is at the top and your sig would be at the bottom. Personally, I don't add my sig on a reply, only use it when I start the email.
It would be nice if you had the option to reply and have your reply and your sig be at the top of the reply. Has this been fixed?
1) Some HTML mail doesnt render well or at all
2) Many times a picture will be super small in the email that someone sent, while others will be full size (never understood that)
3) No Hotmail mail (the httpd plugin is a good first step, but still not perfect)
4) (In entourage) I love that when you reply to a mail, the person you send to is automatically added to your address book. Not so in Mail
Nonetheless, I use Mail for my POP mail and .Mac mail and Entourage for all my Hotmail and my "address book"
I damn well hope next version of Entourage will be using Address Book.. that would be the greatest thing.
See http://www.ximian.com/
If anyone knows about a "ported" OS X version of evolution ... let us know!!
Originally posted by drewprops
...The accumulation of features over time has given Entourage cool things like a "define" option when you command-click on a word and a little navigable dictionary window pops up with a definition in it. You can even copy/paste the definition into an email message...
I know it was only an example, but you can get this functionality set up system-wide in OS X.
Go to http://www.omnigroup.com/ and look for a little program called OmniDictionary. It will look up words for you from dictionary servers on the internet (you have to be online for it to work) and it can be installed as a Service, so it can be used from any app where you can select a bit of text.
Neil.
a.k.a. Arnel
but mail.app does not. so he can't sort by "friends" or "internal company" with a click of the mouse but entourage does this.
anyone know if this is going to be added in mail.app 2.0?
Originally posted by Brad
A little off-topic, but why has this bothered you? Where else does a signature belong but the bottom of the message?
This was also my biggest annoyance with mail, I emailed Apple about it a few times. The problem is when you reply. I run my business thru the net and reply to client emails that were replies to mine. I want to put my sig after each message containing my url, etc. mail would drop it at the very bottom, not where your cursor was. So, when you have an ongoing correspondence with 5+ reposes from you as well as the other party, that's a long way to scroll and copy and paste.
Now in X, you have an option to 'put sig above quoted text'. Very sweet. That and the new sounds makes mail better then ever.
It's been fixed in Panther. Amen to that.
With regards to 'categories' of contacts, that seems like something to be set up in Address Book, not Mail.
Also, I think in Entourage when you reply to a sender the program 'remembers' the address and will auto-complete it if you begin typing it. However I don't think senders are 'automaically' added to the the address book.
In the end I used an incoming rule, and had a folder for firends, work etc. The rules put a copy of the email into the folder. Its very handy for looking for specific stuff.
It should really be done with smart folders ( was so cool in BeOS ).
Does anyone here use the threading in Jaguar email?
I just found it yesterday. But I cant find anyway to read the next message in the thread, or only show messages in the thread. Its much better than the threading in outlook ( and what the threading in panther looks like - same as outlook ? ).
Originally posted by LoCash
They're two totally different pieces of software, if you ask me. Mail is simply a mail client... entourage is a wholly integrated personal information manager. I cannot even compare the two, really.
Hmm.. i would actually say that the Mail/AB/iCal combo is basically exactly the same as Enourage, just in different apps. And seeing as address book and mail are tightly integrated, it only leaves iCal out. _and_ seeing as you have to click on a calendar button in Entourage to access your calender vs. clicking ical in the dock, i'd say they have almost the same level of 'integration'. (im trying to get across the point that even though Entourage has a calender, it's still one click away from your mail, as is ical if it's in the dock.)
It's just that Entourage is a little more powerful in a way. Though in my opinion, the simplicity of Mail, and having all seven email accounts listed in one inbox is a godsend. I don't even realise/care half the time where the mail is coming from, i just read it. VS Entourage, where you have to click through 7 different inboxes (assuming IMAP) to read all your new mail. If i have six new mails, from 4 different accounts, IMAP and POP, they're all just there, arranged chronologically.
Saying that, mail has a number of annoying quirks, but what program doesn't?
>> having all seven email accounts listed in one inbox is a godsend