Eudora 5.0        The Premier E-Mail Application

My first experience with e-mail dates back to the dark days of DOS. Using a primitive communications program, I was thrilled to be able to send e-mail across the US on the FIDO Net. knew that I was experiencing the future of computer communications. I was certain that e-mail world become a standard means of communication by both individuals and business. The early programs were difficult to use and very iffy.
The use of e-mail expanded greatly when online services such as  CompuServe, Prodigy, The Source, GEnie and others launched their on line, easier to use services. E-mail was one of the major features that created the interest in on-line services. Now instead of using the phone or faxing, you could send mail across the USA and the world in minutes and for only the cost of a local phone call.

Initially, I used both AOL and CompuServe to send and receive e-mail. As the Internet became user friendly, thanks to Netscape, I switched to using a true Internet Service Provider.

Both the Netscape and Microsoft's  Browsers featured a rather basic e-mail program. Although I was able to save messages in files, the process was clunky and I wanted something better. Netscape lacked a spell checker which Explorer had, but neither was ideal for me.

At the suggestion of a friend I downloaded a program called Eudora Light. I loved the program from the first minute I used it. It filled all my e-mail requirements and offered an easy-to-use, but powerful and versatile, e-mail program and mail manager.

When Eudora went from a shareware program to a commercial "shrink wrapped" package and appeared in stores like Egghead and Comp USA, I switched from the freeware version to the new commercial version. The commercial version offered a great many new features the freeware lacked.

Eudora, always true to its roots, has always offered a shareware version (Eudora Light) and does to this very day.

In addition there is a Sponsored mode which  is essentially the same as the commercial product but you have to settle for on line advertising in order to use it which is very fair, considering it has all the features of the commercial product.

Even though the e-mail modules in both Netscape and Microsoft's Outlook Express are much improved, I prefer to use Eudora. For a long time, backing up your messages and address books was not easy to accomplish with either Netscape or Outlook Express. 

Eudora gives you the option to save both the addresses and the message files in a specific directory. I love this feature.

Also, many virus programs are designed to attack the Netscape and Outlook Express programs and Eudora helps me protect against the common viruses designed to work in the other two programs. Although you should use an Anti-Virus program to protect your incoming e-mail, I fell that the protection is further enhanced by using Eudora for my e-mail communication needs.

The Registered (no advertisement) version of  Eudora 5.0 sells for $39.00.  

I get a lot of e-mail. Instead of reading each and filing as I read, I have set up Eudora 5.0 to automatically sort my e-mail into separate files so that I could then read them according to my priority. Unlike Navigator and Explorer, I don't have to scan through all my e-mail to read the messages that are a priority. They file themselves into the priority folders I have created. I can read the other messages at a later date.

Eudora is ideal if you maintain multiple e-mail accounts. I have three. With Eudora 5.0, I can send and receive all the e-mail from several ISP's from a single program. 

Reading my e-mail in Eudora is a lot faster than it is with the native e-mail packages included in Explorer or Netscape.

The graphic above is the actual Eudora screen I see when I open the program. My message files are on the left and the incoming mail messages are listed on the right. The blue spheres indicate that the messages have not been read. After reading the item, the sphere disappears indicating the e-mail has been read.

The right portion of the screen tells me who sent the e-mail, the date and time it was received and the subject matter. I can file the message if I decide to keep it by dragging it over to the folder on the left and dropping it into the folder. Switching among the mailboxes is a snap.

The icons at the top of the screen are self-explanatory for the most part. You can send a message to the trash, get incoming messages, send outgoing messages, forward existing messages to one person or several people. Learning the program is fast and easy.

You can also use color to enhance your message as well as text styles to lend emphasis. If you type a URL in the body of the message, it automatically becomes "hot" so that the recipient can click on the address and go directly to the web site you mentioned in your letter.

The toolbar buttons are fully customizable, as is the Address Book. You can maintain a number of different address books as well.

Note the nickname folder on the screen below. This contains my address book as shown on the expanded file.  The screen below is my actual address book. Note there are several address books I maintain such as Dave Web Notify, Ham Radio Contacts, etc.    

One of my favorite new features is the addition of a stationery capability. It works like a form letter. You need only type it once and alter the specific information like the to and any change specific to the recipient and you can e-mail the letter with a minimum of typing.

I love the voice on AOL that says "You've got mail." With Eudora, you can add visual as well as audio alerts to tell you that mail has arrived. I use the AOL wave file to announce the arrival of new mail. Eudora 5.0 will also check periodically to see if you have received new e-mail while you are connected to the web. You can select the interval between checks.

Unlike a lot of software vendors, Qualcomm still offers free support allowing you to call their tech services free 6 times per year. It doubtful that you will need to use this service. Eudora easily imports your current address books and messages from your present e-mil program.

If you use a Palm Pilot or similar hand held device, the program will allow you to exchange data with your device through the use of your synchronization software.

ESP or the Eudora transfer Protocol will allow you to share your files across Windows and Mac platforms without a server.

Another advantage Eudora offers is that is that many Internet Service Providers have help line people know Eudora. (Because they use it too!) and can help you if you get into a problem setting up the program to use on your service.

Another terrific feature allows you to embed or paste a photo directly into the e-mail itself rather than making it an attachment.

If you are in business or you just are an e-mail junkie, Eudora 5.0 is a must have program.
Try the free Light Version or the sponsored version. You will become a dedicated user in a short time!

                                                       http://www.eudora.com
Go ahead, click on the above address now and begin to discover the joys of using Eudora 5.0!

Updated 04/25/07