Netscape Messenger 4.74 which comes along with Netscape Communicator 4.74 is a great email client which takes the anguish and hassles out of email applications. I’ve always been an avid user of Netscape products , ever since 1994 and have found it difficult to jump over to the Internet Explorer bandwagon. I’ve always found every update since Communicator 4 extremely interesting, captivating and alluring.
To start with, Messenger installs like a charm and it invokes the Email wizard which takes all the relevant data from the user like Name, email address, type of account (POP3 or IMAP) and server addresses. For the not-so-computer savvy folks out there, I must mention that Messenger requires a standard POP3/IMAP email account which is local in Nature and can usually be accessed only from a particular place, though most ISP’s like VSNL do have a Webmail facility for remote email
checking. You could also configure a Yahoo mail a/c for POP3 usage. In case you’re a Hotmail user, you’re out of luck as you have no option but to shift to Outlook Express 5, (Now, THAT is what you call monopoly)
After you’re finished with setting up your account ; or multiple accounts through the Netscape User Profile Manager, you’re ready to send and receive your 1st email. The interface is simple and straightforward and it take just a little time to get used to. The mail toolbar contains icons (along with captions) for the most widely used tasks such as compose, retrieve, file, reply, forward, delete etc. a small pane just below the toolbar shows the current folder. Click on it, and you can seamlessly move from folder to folder.
Right under the folder pane is the messages pane. Click on a message and the contents show up in a contents pane right below it. You can sort the messages on the basis of Subject, Date, Sender, priority or size, simply by clicking on the appropriate tab. You can also play around with the panes, resize them, align them horizontally or Vertically, whichever suits your style. One of my most loved features of Netscape is the address book which is a dream to use. Let me elaborate with a small example. I have this message from Mouthshut.com and the sender is the CEO, Mr. Faisal Farooqui. To add him, all I have to do is click on his name in the ’’From’’ column in the contents window. Voila! an address book card pops up with the First/Last name and email address already filled up with the relevant details. All I need to do then is simply type in a nick for him and add him to my address book. This process is not remotely as simple in Outlook.
Clicking on the <New Msg> button on the mail toolbar invokes the composition window, which in turn contains the composition toolbar which has options such as send, quote, address, attach, spelling, save, print and security. The address pane has 3 tabs; for the address(es), attachment(s) and securit/priority options. Sending a mail to multiple email recepants is as good as it gets. Unlike Outlook you needent seperate addresses by a ’’, ’’ (which confounds users at times) ; rather you simply type out an address (or the nick) beside a ’’To:’’ tab and hit the return key. The cursor
comes down and another ’’To:’’ tab comes up signifying that it’s ready to take in another address....and so on. Click on the ’’To:’’ tab, and a drop down menu comes up containing options for CC, BCC, Follow Up, Newsgroup et all. Now Thats what I call Powerful. Right under the Subject window, there’s the HTML toolbar which you can use to play around with the fonts and colour; insert images, align text etc. In case you are a seasoned Netscape Buff, you’ll find that the mail editor is somewhat like Netscapes own HTML editor, the Composer.
Another nifty feature which makes Netscape almost indispensable to me, is the Offline feature which enable a user to stack unsent messages and send them all at one go when he/she goes online. Similary, you can retrieve unread mails in the same manner , thus effective reducing wasteful download time.
Apart from the generic features I have mentioned above, Netscape comes with a host of goodies. Some of them are return reciepts (which makes sure your mail has reached the other end), roaming access, a powerful folder manager which supports folder compression, mail filters, address book import/export feature, multiple IMAP access and Hotsyncing ability with PalmOS. I could go on and on... .....but since that’s the job of the Duracell Bunny, I would recommend that you consult a seasoned Messenger user before taking the plunge. I can however, guarantee that once you’ve
got used to POP3 mail with messenger, you can never ever go back to a Web based mail.
On an ending note, I would like to add that Messenger delivers what other email clients promises and fails miserably. If you have to manage a lot of corporate mails, Netscape Messenger is the way to go.