TIGERX.COM Library: Microsoft Outlook Email Software Review

Software Review

Microsoft Outlook

www.microsoft.com/outlook

The Eudora un-friendly default email application. Yes, that is correct, when we tried to install MS Outlook on Windows 95, all of a sudden, we could not use Eudora anymore without it crashing upon opening. In fact, we had to de-install Outlook and re-install Eudora. It happend on other computers as well, a little too coincidental. That, along with the fact every time you go to open Outlook or Eudora, it asks "This is not currently your default email, would you like to make it your default email program" and even though you click "no" and "do not ask me again" it still does.
Now it comes bundled on Windows 98, and, we tried it, no conflicts with our personal favorite, Eudora, and it does work well, but there are still some basic problems with the design and the program:

1) It sends in HTML coded emails, and this presents problems for others who read it with an email program that has the HTML coding turned off and/or does not support HTML. What HTML means is, people like to format their email with special colors, hyperlinks, and fonts. To the person that has the HTML turned off or does not support it, they get a lot of jumbled coding which makes it difficult at best to read. One of our consultant tried for weeks to turn it off in Outlook as no one (myself included) was able to read the simplest of emails.
2) Although there are many options and tabs, it is hard to find your way around. It took me a very long time to find the signature tag (a tag line automatically inserted at the end of every email so you do not have to retype it each time).
3) The email address book is not as easy to use as in other programs.

The interface is a bit friendlier (and even looks suspiciously) like some other email programs, but it has mailboxes and folders you can create for storage of old/sent emails and does bold unread mail and un-bold it to show it has been read. All in all, it is not a bad program, and most even prefer it. But it is not as simple or easy to use as the reigning champion, and the favorite of many, Eudora. We have seen Microsoft get their hands (or mouse) into everything, including internet software, and while their other programs are superior to most, this is one is not.

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