Andy Wood

I do not enjoy computers, okay; no biggie, I am A+ certified, MCP and almost got my MSCE , but that doesn’t mean really squat nowadays.

Because of this, it looks like I am going to have to do this again.

Ultimately, I think I am going to be using MS’s RMS at GamersCircle.

Firefox 3 is ready to jump out of Beta and onto our laptops starting Tuesday.  With improved features like being able to add keywords to bookmarks to more easily sort them, as well as a feature that allows you to add "places" and easily access websites they visit regularly but haven’t bookmarked. (sweet!)

Security features have also been improved, including outright blocking of phishing sites, rather than just warning about them to the user.

FF3 is also going to be a little speedier, eat up a bit less RAM when left running for long periods of time, and offer easier and more visible navigation.  I’ve been using Firefox since it first came out, but I am forced to still use Internet Explorer again on certain sites (Netflix) as it would seem that they have not seen the light.

There have been a few reports of people having reboots after upgrading their XP systems to SP3.  Considering the frequency with which this occurrence seems to be observed, particularly amongst those with AMD processors it does beg the question whether Microsoft applied the proper rigor to their pre-release testing.

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FeedDemon is now free.  As in, you don’t have to pay for it anymore.  Just download it and use it free of charge.

I have been using this Newsreader for a while now and I have been very happy with it.  I used it when it was freeware, then I switched over to use the ‘pay’ and now it got even better .. again

Not anymore…

It almost felt like another job. Trying to keep email at home and at the shop sync’d up.  It was scenarios like these:

Did I answer this one?
I thought I deleted this one.
Is this one saved here or there?

Now that I have incorporated IMAP into my life, the battle of the POP3 and SMTP server is turning a tide and I look as though I am going to win.

The only down side, is that with large attachments, there is a little lag, but I can deal with that. I have also experienced my first IMAP outage, but since I am forward my email to the IMAP server from a GMAIL server.

If the IMAP service is down, then I can get the email from GMAIL, which acts as a backup as well.

Why don’t I use a web client? Simple, they all suck!

I don’t wish to switch to Thunderbird, Eudora, or any of the others. Outlook 2007 has never let me down, so I am sticking with it.

As some of you might know, I have had a recent need to be able to manage my email from two different locations without having to worry about moving files back and forth, thus IMAP.

What is IMAP?
Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) is a standard protocol for accessing e-mail from your local computer. IMAP is a client/server protocol in which e-mail is received and held for you on the servers. You (by using your e-mail client, such as Outlook Express, Netscape Messenger or Eudora) can view just the header information, which includes the sender and subject of the letter, allowing you to decide whether to download the message or not. You can also create and manipulate folders or mailboxes on the server, delete messages, or search for certain parts or an entire note.

What is POP3?
Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) is also a standard protocol for receiving e-mail and is also a client/server protocol in which e-mail is received and held for you on the servers. With POP3, your mail is saved in a mailbox on the remote server until you check your mail. When you check your mail, all of the mail is immediately downloaded to your computer and is no longer maintained on the server.

What’s the Difference?
IMAP can be thought of as a remote file server, while POP3 can be thought of as a “store-and-forward” service. Ultimately they both accomplish similar tasks but often one will suit your needs better than the other.

What are the Benefits of IMAP?
Since you can view just the header information without downloading the entire message, you can delete large messages without wasting time for downloading them. Also, because the messages remain on the server, you can access your mail from multiple locations and ensure that your messages are always available for you. And, with the messages remaining on the servers if your computer crashes you don’t have to worry about losing your messages. I also like to think of this has another flavor of the Microsoft’ Echange server, minus all of the calendar and other PIM crap.

What are the Benefits of POP3?
Since all of your messages are downloaded immediately, after you check your mail at your computer, you do not need to actually be connected to the Internet to read your email. Also, because the messages are downloaded to your computer you do not need to worry about accruing disk usage charges because the messages do not stay on the servers.

What are the Drawbacks to IMAP?
Unlike POP3, IMAP requires continual access to the server during the time that you are working with your mail. Also, because the messages are stored on the server, it becomes much easier to go over your disk quota. However, you can reduce this risk by taking specific steps to not leave your Sent Mail, Drafts or Trash on the server. And like any new service, there is a slight learning curve to get used to IMAP since most people are used to using POP3.

What are the Drawbacks to POP3?
The major drawback to POP3 is that it is an older protocol that was designed before people were able to easily send large emails with attachments. Because POP3 downloads all the mail on the server at once, people are occasionally unable to successfully receive their messages because POP3 will get stuck or disconnect when trying to download large messages. To fix this people will either need to contact tech support or log onto our web mail system to delete the large messages themselves. Also, if you use POP3 and are traveling or check your mail from multiple locations, you will not be able to view any of your old mail because the messages only exist on the computer on which you originally received your mail.

I have yet to experience a service outtage with IMAP from my provider, but in the event that there is an outtage. I am actually forwarding my email to a GMAIL account then to my IMAP account, this way I have a backup.

Questions?

This is a must if you are attempting to operate your email from 2 different locations.  I am so very happy that someone came up with this technology and that my hosting provider supports it.

For some reason, the indexing wasn’t working and I did it all too:

1.) Repaired the Inbox
2.) Stopped indexing and rebuild the indexing from scratch
3.) Repaired Outlook 2007

I was getting real close to a complete new install when I tested my PST file on another computer with Outlook 2007. Once that computer finished up the indexing, it worked!

Hmmm.

I then copied the PST file back to my main machine, let the indexing finish and well.. now it works!!

Crap!!!

What am I to do?  Oh yeah, I will call AT&T/YAHOO , but wait I need to use the Internet to get thier support number!  Crap again..

Okay.. okay.. wait, let me go through a few steps first..

1.) Reboot my PC - nope
2.) Reset DSL modem and router - nope

Okay.. now time to find that paper bill (yes, I still get paper bills mailed to me) and find the toll free number there.

I didn’t get 1/2 through the phone menu until the connect was back up.

<gulp>

It almost felt as if I had lost a limb!!

Don’t get me wrong, I am not additicted , but since I have a small business and I post content on the main site , well I sort of need it.

This coming week, I will be testing out how Yahoo’ spam filter does in comparison to Gmails, stay tuned!

Update :
It would seem that Yahoo’ SpamGuard needs some training, so I am going give it 5 days of training, basically telling it which is spam and which is not, then I will start collecting numbers. I am not sure if I am going to like this, but to be fair, it is catching a good chunk.

Another Update:
I am not liking Yahoo’ spam protection, it would seem that the more that it is trained, the more crap I see in my inbox. I am going to keep going through the weekend and see if 2 more days makes a difference or not. Otherwise, I am back to using GMAIL as my spam stopper.

Last Update:
For the last week, I have been using Yahoo as a spam filter, training, training and more training with no noticable difference in the amount of spam that I was getting. As of today (3/13/2007) , I have switch back to GMAIL as my spam filter. GMAIL isn’t perfect, but the amount of labor is far less.