Entourage to disappear?

[AMACL]

Is it true that Microsoft will dump Entourage? I switched to Apple Mail to get used to using something else, but I don't like it as well (I'm still running both on my 3-yr-old iMac under Snow Leopard). On new iMac and new MBA, I don't need Microsoft Office so I have to use Mail.
Thanks in advance!

 

[chas_m]

Microsoft "dumped" Entourage four years ago with the release of Microsoft Office 2011.

What, specifically, do you not like about Mail? (and there are other options as well)

 

[chscag]

As already noted, Entourage is long gone. Microsoft has replaced it with Outlook 2011 and soon to be released Outlook 2015. Apple Mail works well but if you want something closer to Entourage and is free, I suggest trying out Thunderbird Mail by Mozilla. You can download a copy from the Mozilla site.

 

[AMACL]

Entourage alternatives

Thanks to chas_m and chscag for your replies!

I knew that Microsoft was no longer marketing Entourage, but I saw on their website that they still support it (i.e. one can still search articles and forum items on Entourage). However, I figured it was perhaps time to move on to a different program.

What don't I like about Mail? for one thing, Entourage caught a whole lot more spam. There are other annoyances that might be because I have not learned all the tricks of Mail's trade. I just get the feeling it is not as complete - why should it be, if you pay for Entourage but Mail is free?

That being said, thank you for the suggestion of other choices. I will check out Thunderbird Mail. Any other good options, even for a (small) fee?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Slydude]

What things do you think are missing in Mail that are in Entourage? I ask because I suspect some of those functions are in Mail just handled differently.

I switched from Entourage too Mail not too long after Mail was released. For a long time I thought there was no way to create a group and send the same e-mail to the entire group in one shot. For quite a while I muddled through entering the addresses by hand, typing a few characters in each address then letting autocomplete do the rest.

Imagine my surprise, and embarrassment, when I discovered the answer had been in Mail all along. Create the group in Address Book / Contacts then type the group name in the e-mail address field in Mail.

 

[chas_m]

Entourage never did -- and Outlook still doesn't -- catch spam. Nor does Mail, Thunderbird or any other email program. That's a function of your personal set of filters and the efforts of your provider on their end -- nothing to do with your choice of email program.

Mail has a *fantastic* junk filter if you bother to train it for a few days. There are also a few standard "rules" you can add (no email from a .cn origin, no email not personally addressed to me, etc) to your filters that will catch a lot of junk. The best weapon I've found is to have two email addresses: a public one you can use for sites that require one, and a private one that only people you actually know have access to and is not used anywhere else.