Best email program for Mac OSX SL mail.app or entourage

whitecrook · 24 Sep 2010 at 13:28

Hi all

After using webmail for years going to go back to a real mail client, not used one at home since the days of eudora/communicator 4 .

I use outlook to connect to exchange at work and i need a minimum of my 3 accoutnts / exhcnage/hotmail and gmail to be handled.

So what's the deal - is entourage better than the inbuilt mail.app?

Mail.app won;t do exchange with a 2003 server, but I can probably get a newer 2007 mailbox.

What do you guys use? Something else?

I deally I'd like some kind of calander sync as well so I can add stuff to my work calendar while at home etc.

SiriusB · 24 Sep 2010 at 13:37

Entourage 2008 is a pile of steaming gorilla turd. Every single Mac user I have come across that uses it has problems.

However, Office 2011 for OS X is not too far away, and they have replaced Entourage with a proper honest to goodness Outlook which will fully support Exchange. I believe there is a BETA if you wish to try it out.

Personally, I use Outlook 2010 via Parallels on my MBP.

whitecrook · 24 Sep 2010 at 13:39

OK. That seems a little overkill running a vm for a decent email client on the mac, though?

PardonTheWait · 24 Sep 2010 at 13:44

Mail is a very good email app. I don't like entourage 2008 at all personally. If exchange 2003 is a deal breaker though you're pretty much stuck with entourage until 2011 comes out.

bloodiedathame · 24 Sep 2010 at 13:49

I use Mail, does the job even if it is a bit unexciting.

whitecrook · 24 Sep 2010 at 13:49

Well I can probably upgrade my exchange account to a 2007 account, as we have a mixture of accounts, which should mean mail can use it. But does it actually work in terms of meeting requests/calendar/ server folders etc?

whitecrook · 24 Sep 2010 at 13:51

ALSO: It's freaking 2010 and I'm seriously getting the impression that there is no 'decent, professional' Macintsh email client that support gmail/hotmail and exchange seamlessly. W T F !! SRSLY?!

bloodiedathame · 24 Sep 2010 at 13:56

Mail supports my Gmail just fine...

Never used it for meeting requests or server folders, but it seems to sync up with iCal which has my Gmail calendar on it.

AbsenceJam · 24 Sep 2010 at 15:09

whitecrook said:
OK. That seems a little overkill running a vm for a decent email client on the mac, though?

The point of Parallels and VMWare having integration with OS X is to run decent software that the Mac lacks.

Anyway, Office 2011 has gone RTM and it's on technet so should be available through your employer already.

JonB · 24 Sep 2010 at 15:26

Is there different levels of technet? My dads technet doesn't seem to have the mac software on it!

AbsenceJam · 24 Sep 2010 at 15:36

It hit RTM two weeks ago so it ought to be there unless they do odd stuff for Mac software. Sure I read someone saying they got it off of there too.

MacRS4 · 24 Sep 2010 at 16:41

Office 2011 is not on Technet.

SiriusB · 24 Sep 2010 at 16:51

whitecrook said:
OK. That seems a little overkill running a vm for a decent email client on the mac, though?

I don't just use the VM for Office.

AbsenceJam said:
The point of Parallels and VMWare having integration with OS X is to run decent software that the Mac lacks.

Precisely. OS X does not have [or at the time, did not have] a decent Outlook alternative. I also wanted an Office environment so I wouldn't have to contend with any kind of formatting issues.

I work with Windows domains, so having access to Windows on my MBP is great, as I don't always want to sit in front of my main computer.