Outlook Express
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Microsoft
Outlook Express |
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Microsoft Outlook Express puts the world of online communication on your desktop. Whether you want to exchange e-mail with colleagues and friends or join newsgroups to trade ideas and information, the tools are here.
If you have several mail accounts with different Internet service providers (ISPs), you can use them all from one window. And if your Usenet provider uses more than one news server, you can set up separate accounts and passwords for each one and then easily switch between them without reconfiguring your newsreader.
Using the message list and preview pane, you can view a list of messages and read individual messages at the same time. The folder list contains mail folders, news servers, and newsgroups, and you can easily switch between them. You can also add folders to organize and sort messages, and then set up Inbox rules so that incoming mail that meets your criteria automatically goes to a specific folder.
If your ISP uses an IMAP mail server for incoming mail, you can read, store, and organize your messages in folders on the server without downloading the messages to your computer. That way, you can view messages from any computer that can connect to that server.
You can save names and addresses in your address book either by importing them from other programs, typing them in, adding them from e-mail messages you receive, or searching popular Internet directory services (white pages). The Address Book supports Lightweight Directory Service Access Protocol (LDAP) for accessing Internet directory services.
Insert essential information (such as your phone number) into outgoing messages as part of your personal signature, or add stationery patterns and backgrounds to make your messages more attractive.
You can digitally sign and encrypt messages by using digital IDs. Digitally signing your messages assures recipients that the message is really from you, and encryption ensures that only the intended recipients can read a message.
Looking for a newsgroup that matches your interests? You can search for newsgroups that contain keywords or browse through all of the newsgroups available from your Usenet provider. When you find a newsgroup you want to view regularly, add it to your Subscribed list so you can find it again easily.
You can view a newsgroup message and all of the responses (called "threads") without reading an entire message list. When you view the list of messages, you can expand and collapse threads to make it easier to find what interests you. You can also mark messages to show that you have read them, filter out newsgroup messages that don't interest you, or set Outlook Express to display only unread messages.
To use your online time efficiently, you can download messages or entire newsgroups, so you don't have to be connected to your ISP to read messages. You can also download only message headers to view offline, and then mark just those you want to read the next time you are connected. You can also compose messages offline and then send them the next time you reconnect.