Finally given up on Mail.app

[iFoggy]

Tried to switch from Outlook 2011 on many occasions but after a couple of days, due to sheer frustration around connectivity issues whilst off the LAN back to our Exchange 2010 server using ActivSync I give up and feel forced to open Outlook 2011 again

Love how Mail.app integrates so seamlessly back to OS X but it is just too unreliable...also have to keep rebuilding the mailboxes.

Looks like the issue stems from how Apple handles Autodiscover in Exchange due to all the postings on it on Apple support and it does not appear any way around it as the Mail.app requests the Autodiscover properties every time it attempts to connect to Exchange.

How is it that Apple can produce a rock solid (in my opinion) ActivSync connected iOS mail app yet their OS X mail app is nowhere near.

sob....

 

[benthewraith]

Tried to switch from Outlook 2011 on many occasions but after a couple of days, due to sheer frustration around connectivity issues whilst off the LAN back to our Exchange 2010 server using ActivSync I give up and feel forced to open Outlook 2011 again

Love how Mail.app integrates so seamlessly back to OS X but it is just too unreliable...also have to keep rebuilding the mailboxes.

Looks like the issue stems from how Apple handles Autodiscover in Exchange due to all the postings on it on Apple support and it does not appear any way around it as the Mail.app requests the Autodiscover properties every time it attempts to connect to Exchange.

How is it that Apple can produce a rock solid (in my opinion) ActivSync connected iOS mail app yet their OS X mail app is nowhere near.

sob....

Have you tried using Sparrow?

 

[iFoggy]

Unfortunately Sparrow does not support ActivSync, only IMAP could be used for connectivity back to Exchange.

Anyone care to comment on the 'cons' on using IMAP and not ActivSync for connectivity to Exchange 2010? I was led to believe that ActivSync is much more suitable.

I am the only Mac user in a sea of 1200 Window users so guess what Exchange Admin says to me when I inquire about using IMAP on Exchange

 

[colloc]

Tried to switch from Outlook 2011 on many occasions but after a couple of days, due to sheer frustration around connectivity issues whilst off the LAN back to our Exchange 2010 server using ActivSync I give up and feel forced to open Outlook 2011 again

Love how Mail.app integrates so seamlessly back to OS X but it is just too unreliable...also have to keep rebuilding the mailboxes.

Looks like the issue stems from how Apple handles Autodiscover in Exchange due to all the postings on it on Apple support and it does not appear any way around it as the Mail.app requests the Autodiscover properties every time it attempts to connect to Exchange.

How is it that Apple can produce a rock solid (in my opinion) ActivSync connected iOS mail app yet their OS X mail app is nowhere near.

sob....

Apple's success was from iPhones and iPads. Macs are no where near that point… yet.
I just switched to Mac recently, and I have to say Mail app really let me down. I use Exchange too.

 

[soloer]

Have you tried using Sparrow?

Not to sidetrack the thread (for more than a moment), but is Sparrow still being developed? I thought that since it had been acquired by Google that people were saying it was basically dead.

iFoggy, is the main issue just Exchange connectivity? I've tried IMAP in the past and while it sort of worked, it wasn't very great.

 

[colloc]

Not to sidetrack the thread (for more than a moment), but is Sparrow still being developed? I thought that since it had been acquired by Google that people were saying it was basically dead.

iFoggy, is the main issue just Exchange connectivity? I've tried IMAP in the past and while it sort of worked, it wasn't very great.

Of all the ppl they could sell to and they chose Google. If only Apple bought it, sigh.

Based on the app store reviews it's having cpu problems now, so best to avoid it if you haven't bought it yet.

 

[iFoggy]

Not to sidetrack the thread (for more than a moment), but is Sparrow still being developed? I thought that since it had been acquired by Google that people were saying it was basically dead.

iFoggy, is the main issue just Exchange connectivity? I've tried IMAP in the past and while it sort of worked, it wasn't very great.

Hi.....yes just connectivity when off the LAN so connecting remotely to the webmail Exchange server.

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Hi.....yes just connectivity when off the LAN so connecting remotely to the webmail Exchange server.

Holy cr@p I think I just realised what it is and it will sound so simple.....

If you setup your Exchange ActivSync mail account whilst on the LAN it will use Autodiscover and populate the internal and external server names which are 100% correct....problem has been if you are off the LAN it will try and connect via internal server name first for like 5 / 10 minutes then all of a sudden use external server name...this I already know but could not change the server name settings because mail.app would use Autodiscover each time.

Now....deleted my mail account and reset it up whilst off the LAN (never done this before to avoid a 600meg mail download over 3G) but now I see in the account properties I have a tick box to 'use Autodiscover' / or not...now just unticked that and made the internal server the same as the external and BAM no more delays to connect

So happy.....

 

[throAU]

Unfortunately Sparrow does not support ActivSync, only IMAP could be used for connectivity back to Exchange.

Anyone care to comment on the 'cons' on using IMAP and not ActivSync for connectivity to Exchange 2010?

For one - your exchange administrator will need to turn the imap service on, open additional ports on their firewall, etc.

One of my "hats" at work is MS exchange admin, but I've never used imap in anger to comment on performance of it.



As far as exchange autodiscover goes - if your network/mail server admin isn't a muppet, it should work from both inside and outside of your private network, using whatever method for connectivity has been defined by the server admin as appropriate.

That's the whole point of autodiscover... so people can take their machines out in the field and not have to reconfigure or log into the office via a VPN to get their email.

 

[iMacFarlane]

Now....deleted my mail account and reset it up whilst off the LAN (never done this before to avoid a 600meg mail download over 3G) but now I see in the account properties I have a tick box to 'use Autodiscover' / or not...now just unticked that and made the internal server the same as the external and BAM no more delays to connect

So happy.....

Good for you, man. I love it when something that should be simple, then isn't, finally gets fixed. Thanks for sharing your solution!

 

[Stonefly]

Postbox 3.0.5 looks like a nice mail app.

http://www.macworld.com/article/1168356/postbox_offers_a_serious_alternative_to_apples_mail_app.html