Just received my iMac and learning how to use it. Have used Outlook for years on PC and also at work. I loaded Office 2008 and therefore have been using Entourage as my mail program. Question for long term iMac users: which is better, Entourage or Apple Mail? Before I go too far in learning Entourage want to know which program to use? Also, same question for Firefox or Safari. Used Firefox for years so any reason to switch to Safari?
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Entourage versus Mail/ Firefox versus Safari
- Thread starter Habu71
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I'd go with Entourage. You're coming from Outlook and although Entourage, in my opinion, is "watered" down compared to Outlook, you'll have an easier time with Entourage since there are similar features. Mail.app is alright but a little too basic. It can do most things other mail clients do but I wouldn't recommend it if you're a power user. Never used Thunderbird so I couldn't say.
+1 for Entourage.
+1 for Entourage.
I would recommend Mail, simply for the fact that every email is saved in its own file, where as Entourage saves emails in 1 large file. Mail is way easier to back up, you only need to copy the ones you want to keep, or if you do a nightly / weekly backup, you don't need to copy as much data.
There really is no particular reason to use Safari over Firefox. I'd like to switch and start using FireFox but I can't stop using Safari because I use so many keyboard shortcuts, that I really slow down in FireFox. That and the fact that I don't like the way FireFox looks.
This is just my opinion, one isn't better than the other. Just try both and see which one you like more.
This is just my opinion, one isn't better than the other. Just try both and see which one you like more.
Coming from Outlook, choose Entourage, if you want to stick with it completely (email, calendar, contacts). If you want to use at least one of the Apple programs, than switch completely. I tried using Entourage for email and calendar in combination with Apples Adress Book. I didn't work out. Had several sync conflicts with mobile me.
Personally I would say Mail and Safari.
Safari is much faster at loading pages, in my experience. Use Firefox though if you want all the add-ons.
Mail is great for everything I do, and is nice and simple. The choice here ultimately lies in whether or not you are doing serious work with external mail servers, etc. (like for your office kind of thing). Mail is not great at that, so in that case use entourage...
Safari is much faster at loading pages, in my experience. Use Firefox though if you want all the add-ons.
Mail is great for everything I do, and is nice and simple. The choice here ultimately lies in whether or not you are doing serious work with external mail servers, etc. (like for your office kind of thing). Mail is not great at that, so in that case use entourage...
I tend to use Mail in OSX. I don't really like Entourage. I use Thunderbird on my PCs.
I don't use Safari on anything. Can't stand it. Firefox, Firefox, Firefox.
I don't use Safari on anything. Can't stand it. Firefox, Firefox, Firefox.
I personally prefer to have my mail, contacts and calendar all in one place: Entourage. I seem to get on with it better and I have to use the rest of the Mac Office suite anyway. It syncs perfectly with my iPhone so I have no need to complain.
I also prefer Firefox to Safari. There's some excellent plug-ins available that I need to use such as Web Developer, FireFTP, ChatZilla (IRC) etc. I also like the ability to customise Firefox.
I also prefer Firefox to Safari. There's some excellent plug-ins available that I need to use such as Web Developer, FireFTP, ChatZilla (IRC) etc. I also like the ability to customise Firefox.
I had to quit using Safari about 2 updates ago. It will load the Yahoo homepage and then won't load most any of the several hundred bookmarked pages I used to go to. The little colorful ball just spins and spins and the progress bar is stuck on about the 10 percent mark. I used Safari as my main browser up until them. Can't figure it out, gave up and use Firefox now. Maybe one day, after another update or 2, it might be usable again.
I came from a PC where I used Outlook, but chose to use Mail and iCal, simply because I believe they are better programs than Office for Mac will ever be, plus I like the better integration with the OS.
Wow, really? You have to be the first person I know that would rather use iWork/iLife instead of Office. Personally, I think Office For Mac is way superior to what Apple has to offer. People can knock on Microsoft/Windows, but Office is very solid product.
(Personal opinion, please don't bash me...
)
idk bout u guys but firefox seems so slow 2 me compared 2 opera or safari, and mail is enough 4 me
really? i hear otherwise, i think iwork is much better except when it comes 2 excel vs numbers, numbers is an idiot proof excelWow, really? You have to be the first person I know that would rather use iWork/iLife instead of Office. Personally, I think Office For Mac is way superior to what Apple has to offer. People can knock on Microsoft/Windows, but Office is very solid product.
(Personal opinion, please don't bash me...
hmm..I guess there really is an iWork following. I know customers who call in buy iWork because it's cheaper and most of them call back saying they should have gone with Office instead. I look at iWork as something that is basic and does what it's advertised to do, Office, complete powerhouse. Hey, if there are people out there,pretty cool...learn something everyday.
I find using Office 08 on Mac to be a painful experience. I would have loved it if they ported the Ribbon interface over, or if the self updated doesn't freeze, or if the app wasn't dog slow. iWork is able to handle whatever I throw at it pretty well. I create documents in Pages that look better and are more easily laid out than anything I could do in Word. Keynote simply blows PowerPoint away! I will give it to you that Numbers doesn't have as many power user features as Excel, but even then the resulting speadsheets look much nicer.
As for the OP, I say use Mail.app if you can; it has MUCH better intergration with Mac OS X as well as third party apps than Entourage could hope for (admittedly this fact is only because it comes free for all Mac users). It is also very nice to use.
Wow, really? You have to be the first person I know that would rather use iWork/iLife instead of Office. Personally, I think Office For Mac is way superior to what Apple has to offer. People can knock on Microsoft/Windows, but Office is very solid product.
(Personal opinion, please don't bash me...
I don't use iWork, I use Microsoft Office for the simple reason that I have to. Given the choice, I wouldn't bother on a Mac. But I don't use Entourage because I don't feel a need to with Mail and iCal.
If you need exchange server support you will have to stick with Entourage for now; at least until Snow Leopard comes out. If not, I recommend Mail. Speedier, clean interface, better integration if you also using iCal and Address Book.
As for the browser, similar applies. I use Firefox if I need some extension or plugins available for it. Usually, I just stick to Safari. I find it speedier and enjoy the bookmark syncing between my computers.
Apple Mail is way better though personally I prefer Gmail's web interface. I used Mail when i had AIM.
Office 2008n is utter crap in my opinion. I had constant freezing, update never once worked for me and the uninstall went so poorly that I had to archive and install leopard. I can't really see a use for iWork with what I use office apps for so I went with NeoOffice and am trying OpenOffice now. They open everything MS Office can throw at it except publisher and access (office 2008 can't either) It can save in any of those formats as well. They start at about the same speed OOorg runs a bit faster than NeoOffice, personally I think they are superior to Office 2008 and iWork.
Office 2008n is utter crap in my opinion. I had constant freezing, update never once worked for me and the uninstall went so poorly that I had to archive and install leopard. I can't really see a use for iWork with what I use office apps for so I went with NeoOffice and am trying OpenOffice now. They open everything MS Office can throw at it except publisher and access (office 2008 can't either) It can save in any of those formats as well. They start at about the same speed OOorg runs a bit faster than NeoOffice, personally I think they are superior to Office 2008 and iWork.