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    The best email client for Linux, Windows and macOS isn’t Outlook

    In companies and houses, e-mail continues to be a necessity for communication. But which e-mail shopper is the perfect to make use of? You could be shocked to seek out out that it isn’t Outlook.

    Image: GettyImages/photoschmidt
    I depend on e-mail. In truth, it is my major technique of communication with the skin world. While most individuals are busy on Slack and different chat platforms, I nonetheless favor e-mail. Why? For one factor, I retain a digital path of my communication. I can search via e-mail threads to observe conversations with a single particular person (or a number of individuals) with ease. Another cause is that I’ve been utilizing e-mail because the late ’90s, so it is a very snug and acquainted format.  SEE: Electronic communication coverage  (TechRepublic Premium)

    Does that imply I ignore chat and different kinds of communication platforms? Not in any respect. But for my major technique of communication with purchasers, editors and publishers, it is e-mail all the way in which. It’s simple, quick and at all times there. I haven’t got to fret about whether or not or not a recipient is on-line; they will get the communication a method or one other. But there’s a slight drawback. Which e-mail shopper to make use of? There are fairly numerous apps obtainable on each platform, and never each app is accessible for each working system. You have Apple Mail for macOS, Outlook for Windows and macOS, Evolution for Linux, and a bunch of different prospects. And for the longest time, everybody simply assumed MS Outlook was the one greatest e-mail shopper on the planet. 

    For anybody who’s needed to troubleshoot Outlook issues, you understand simply how unhealthy that shopper can get when it is in a fussy temper. I’ve skilled Outlook issues so unhealthy, the one option to clear up the issue was an entire reinstall of the OS. Granted, that scenario was not regular, however it is vitally indicative of what can go unsuitable with that specific e-mail shopper. And though Apple Mail is an excellent e-mail utility, its macOS-only limitation is problematic. I’ll go as far as to say if Apple Mail was obtainable for Linux, macOS and Windows, it will most likely wind up on the very high of this listing. SEE: The greatest browser for Linux, Windows and Mac is not Google Chrome in 2021 (TechRepublic)That, nonetheless, is just not the case. With that stated, is there a single e-mail utility that may declare the perfect e-mail shopper for all three of the primary desktop working techniques? There is, and it’ll shock you which of them shopper has risen to the highest. Why the shock? Mostly as a result of everybody had just about written this utility off when the founding firm jettisoning the software program. That did not occur, and the e-mail shopper loved a little bit of a renaissance, which led to it being one of many cleanest, most dependable e-mail purchasers obtainable. That shopper is Thunderbird. Whoa! What concerning the cloud? I get it, a lot of you choose to go the cloud or SaaS route for e-mail. You have Gmail, Microsoft 365 and so many different cloud- or SaaS-based e-mail companies, and also you’re content material viewing them by way of an online browser. That’s the route so many individuals take. But it will possibly get a bit unwieldy—particularly whenever you’re already vulnerable to having too many tabs open in your browser.  Good information: Thunderbird can deal with the likes of Gmail and Office 365. And that is simply one of many causes Thunderbird will get this nod: Because of its flexibility and extendability. You see, Thunderbird is not simply restricted to POP and IMAP. With this open-source e-mail shopper, you’ll be able to connect with: GmailAlternateOffice 365iCloudand moreThose companies alone cowl a really broad vary. Of course, with among the above, you do have to leap via sure hoops to make it work (akin to enabling IMAP or utilizing app passwords), however the level is, it really works. And works fairly properly.  But why swap? You’re most likely already closely invested in your present e-mail utility. You’ve been utilizing it for years and it (for essentially the most half) serves you properly. Or you largely view your e-mail from inside an online browser. But for those who’re like me, you’ve gotten quite a few e-mail accounts you monitor all through the day. I’ve to maintain observe of 4 major e-mail accounts, and the concept of getting to hop between browser tabs to view all of them makes me wish to shut down and switch my again on communication altogether. To that finish, I depend on Thunderbird to corral these e-mail accounts right into a single, easy-to-use interface. But what concerning the calendar?  One factor about Outlook is that it is an all-in-one groupware suite. It’s e-mail, calendar, contacts, todo, espresso maker, toothbrush and veggie crisper. But let’s be trustworthy, nearly all of individuals use Outlook for 2 issues: Email and Calendar. And nearly all of dwelling customers most likely solely use Outlook for e-mail. Guess what? Thunderbird has a built-in Calendar characteristic that may connect with your calendar of alternative. Even higher, Thunderbird has nearly each characteristic you can consider: Tabbed interface.Built-in encryption.Highly customizable.Do not observe and distant content material blocking.Powerful add-ons.Themable.One-click tackle e-book.Attachment reminder.Quick filter toolbar.Powerful search.Message archiving.Large information administration.Smart folders.Remote picture blocking.Phishing safety.Automated up to date.Built-in junk filters. It’s all about efficiency and effectivity The two major causes I listing Thunderbird as the perfect e-mail shopper for all platforms boils all the way down to efficiency and effectivity. Of all the e-mail purchasers I’ve ever used (and I’ve used a figurative metric ton of them), Thunderbird provides the perfect mixture of efficiency, effectivity and options. And given how busy life may be, efficiency and effectivity are key.  The primary structure of Thunderbird brushes off any confusion and makes it extremely easy to learn, compose and handle e-mail. There’s zero studying curve to this shopper, and its utilization is so simple as it will get. On high of that, even with a large quantity of e-mail in your account, Thunderbird performs extremely properly. I’ve skilled Outlook choke on what Thunderbird simply manages. My present Thunderbird shopper (working on each Pop!_OS and macOS) has archives courting again to 2009 and it exhibits no signal of slowing down or hesitancy. I can not keep in mind the final time I had an issue with Thunderbird. On the opposite, the final time I needed to work with Outlook, I ceaselessly needed to cope with PST and OST information. If these information weren’t cared for, fed properly and burped ceaselessly, Outlook would get fussy and refuse to do what it was instructed. All the whereas, Thunderbird retains chugging on. My day has turn out to be insanely busy. The instruments I exploit should work and work properly. Between net browsers and e-mail purchasers, I haven’t got time to cope with breakdowns and corrupt information. That’s why Thunderbird is the e-mail shopper I discover is greatest fitted to Linux, macOS and Windows. It’s not excellent, however between it and the competitors, choosing Thunderbird as my default is an absolute no-brainer. Subscribe to TechRepublic’s How To Make Tech Work on YouTube for all the most recent tech recommendation for enterprise professionals from Jack Wallen.

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