[SOLVED] Email client - alternative to Windows Mail (for OAP)

[ChrisA]

Hi all,

Sorry to trouble you, but I trust ya!

My mum has become very comfortable With Windows Mail / outlook express over the years, but I built her a new pc with win10 (from my older parts) at the beginning of the year. What’s holding her back from using it is email, which is her main activity on it. I showed her ‘the new way’ and she doesn’t like it (I have tried). Even bought a simple to use KVM to ease her transition!

So apart from thunderbird (which I have no problem with) are there any other mail app’s that look similar to Windows mail?

I really want to re-use her machine to try freenas with and it’s holding me back! Its my very old AMD Phenom 64, or something similar - it’s been a long time. I’ve got some spare RAM to get it to the recommended 16GB (appreciate that varies on data quantity).

Thanks in advance!

[Eden]

What doesn’t she like about it?

It’s difficult to answer right away because everything else is arguably more complicated that windows mail.

[Ruffalo]

What “new way”, you mean going to gmail.com? Win10 comes with a mail program, does she hate that? If she really just wants Outlook Express, there’s this. I have not tried it and don’t endorse it, but worth a shot.

OE Classic - Easy to use Outlook Express replacement

[ChrisA]

I think she’s just used to the layout of win mail. I don’t want to brow beat her into the win10 mail client, she’s quite old, very computer illiterate and deserves to simply like what she likes - when it comes to computer’s at least!

[ChrisA]

Yes indeed, she doesn’t like gmail app or the built in stuff - I’m personally ok with it.

Thanks for the link, I’ll take a look!

[Eden]

Windows mail you can’t configure to be exactly like the old one, but you can get really close, which is why i asked about what she didn’t like. Did you configure it first? I have it setup exactly like the old version except that the mail list and mail item are horizontal rather than vertical and that everything a little bit bigger which you’d think is a good thing. Button placement is almost identical, folder placement is identical.

In either case, Thunderbird is probably closest as you can probably lay it out exactly the same but it will likely still have theme issues and maybe some behaviour issues.

[ChrisA]

I did play around with it first, it was the mail list position she didn’t like. She’s very stubborn so it’s easier to just find a lookie likey! When I first saw the increased text size, I thought it would be a good thing too, but apparently not enough!

Thunderbird isn’t that reliable then? I last used it years ago and it was ok, apart from when it hit a file size limit and crashed!

[Eden]

Thunderbird isn’t that reliable then?

I mean that you may not be able to get it to look the same or act exactly the same.

[Ruffalo]

Thunderbird is perfectly fine, it’s just fugly. But she’s used to outlook express, so she’s clearly into that.

[anon79053375]

Thunderbird is perfectly fine, it’s just fugly

Dark theme helps

[jamierocks]

My favourite mail client would be Mailspring. Though tbh gmail.com is damn nice Thunderbird is a solid choice too, just perhaps UI-wise ‘outdated’.

[ChrisA]

@anon79053375 @Eden @Ruffalo @jamierocks @jamierocks

Thanks again everyone I’ve installed Thunderbird and looks close enough to me, but if that doesn’t appease the user (my Ma’), I’ll have OE Classic or MailSpring as a backup.

Thanks again guys, really appreciate it.

P.S. And Thunderbird is Fugly and has an outdated UI…which suits my mum quite nicely, just like it shouldn’t!

[somit]

You can still use Windows Live Mail in Windows 10 and also import data in it. Windows Live Mail, Outlook Express, and Windows mail all support EML file format.

I hope it is helpful for you.