| |
Feature |
 |
Eudora |
|
Mail.app |
|
Outlook 2003 |
|
Thunderbird |
|
| |
Customizable view support |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
View raw message headers |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Difficult |
|
Yes |
|
| |
View raw message Source |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
| |
HTML Messages |
|
Poor |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Active URLs |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Richtext messages |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Activity Window / Task Progress |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
| |
Message count in doc/taskbar/panel |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
| |
Messages running Javascript |
|
No |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
|
Printing |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
Feature |
|
Eudora |
|
Mail.app |
|
Outlook 2003 |
|
Thunderbird |
|
| |
Messages |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Message Lists |
|
No |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
|
Attachments |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Feature |
|
Eudora |
|
Mail.app |
|
Outlook 2003 |
|
Thunderbird |
|
| |
Display of PDF without starting an external application. |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
| |
Incoming vcard/vcf (1) |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Drag and Drop of incoming attachments |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
| |
Include an attachment in outgoing mail |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Include multiple attchments in outgoing mail |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
|
Message Editing |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Feature |
|
Eudora |
|
Mail.app |
|
Outlook 2003 |
|
Thunderbird |
|
| |
Spell check |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Message templates |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Stationery |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Styled text |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Signature |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Choose among multiple signatures |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes (2) |
|
| |
Switch between plaintext and richtext after new message window is open |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes (3) |
|
| |
Edit incoming mail |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
No |
|
No |
|
|
Message Mangement |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Feature |
|
Eudora |
|
Mail.app |
|
Outlook 2003 |
|
Thunderbird |
|
| |
Move / Copy |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Export |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Resend |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Message receipts |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Forward |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Reply |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Flag message |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Label message with color |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Label message with text |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Offline message reading |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Mailbox list sorting |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Save drafts on local disk |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Save drafts on IMAP server |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes(4) |
|
No (5) |
|
| |
Send outgoing messages later |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
| |
Store sent messages on IMAP server |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes(4) |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Scroll in preview pane marks message as read |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
| |
Select multiple messages in message list |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes (6) |
|
| |
Mail merge |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
|
Folders/Mailboxes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Feature |
|
Eudora |
|
Mail.app |
|
Outlook 2003 |
|
Thunderbird |
|
| |
Condense mailbox |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
No |
|
| |
Condense message |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
No |
|
No |
|
| |
Thread messages |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Organize in mailboxes on local disk |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Organize in mailboxes on IMAP server |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Nested folders on local disk |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Nested folders on IMAP server |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Nested folder creation during message move |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
No |
|
No |
|
|
Message Filtering |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Feature |
|
Eudora |
|
Mail.app |
|
Outlook 2003 |
|
Thunderbird |
|
| |
Junk mail / Spam screening |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes (7) |
|
| |
Filter incoming messages |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Filter outgoing messages |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
| |
Rule sets |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Run filter rules manually |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
|
Search Msg Store |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Feature |
|
Eudora |
|
Mail.app |
|
Outlook 2003 |
|
Thunderbird |
|
| |
Basic Search |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Advanced Search |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Saved searches |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Smart Folders |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Customizable views |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Search across multiple mailboxes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Search across non-contiguous mailboxes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
|
Security |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Feature |
|
Eudora |
|
Mail.app |
|
Outlook 2003 |
|
Thunderbird |
|
| |
SSL Support |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
S/MIME Encryption |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
S/MIME digital signing |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Virus protection |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Phishing detection |
|
No |
|
No |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
|
User Interface |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Feature |
|
Eudora |
|
Mail.app |
|
Outlook 2003 |
|
Thunderbird |
|
| |
Contextual menu support |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
User assignable buttons |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
Difficult (8) |
|
| |
User assignable functions |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Skins / Themes |
|
No |
|
No |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Open windows remembered between launches |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
|
Other Features |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Feature |
|
Eudora |
|
Mail.app |
|
Outlook 2003 |
|
Thunderbird |
|
| |
Scriptable from OS (Applescript or Visual Basic or Shell) |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
| |
Change send/receive identity without restarting (called Personality in Eudora) |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
No |
|
| |
Automatic download of update |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Automatic install of update |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Cross-platform support |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Debug logging |
|
Full |
|
Some |
|
Yes |
|
Some |
|
| |
Add-ons / Extensions |
|
Few |
|
Some |
|
Yes |
|
Many |
|
| |
Language localization support |
|
Yes (9) |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes (9) |
|
| |
LDAP Support |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Difficult(10) |
|
Yes (11) |
|
| |
Non-proprietary, user viewable mailbox format |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Usage history / statistics |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
| |
Automatic file sync (called ESP in Eudora) |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
No |
|
No |
|
|
non-Email mods |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Feature |
|
Eudora |
|
Mail.app |
|
Outlook 2003 |
|
Thunderbird |
|
| |
NNTP support / News reader |
|
No |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
RSS support |
|
No |
|
No |
|
Yes (12) |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Address book / Contact Manager |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| |
Address book integration with OS |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
| |
Calendar / Planner |
|
No |
|
Yes |
|
Yes (12) |
|
Yes (12) |
|
| |
Eudora Migration (External application is often helpful.) |
|
NA |
|
Yes |
|
Yes(13) |
|
Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notes:
(1) vcard/vcf attachments originating from some email clients are not properly displayed. This is a problem with the sender, not the email program receiving the attachment.
(2) To get a different signature, user must switch identities in Thunderbird.
(3) The “Format” command that’s necessary to do this in Thunderbird is only present in the Compose window’s Options menu if the “Compose messages in HTML" option is checked in the Composition and Addressing pane of the account preferences.
(4) The capability is present, but problems have been observed saving drafts on the IMAP server in Outlook. IS&T is working on this issue.
(5) Inability to save drafts on IMAP server is currently a known issue and is being worked on by IS&T.
(6) Thunderbird does not allow dragging to select multiple messages.
(7) Testing shows that Thunderbird does identify Junk mail, but it is unclear how to get Thunderbird to automatically move the identified messages to a "Junk" folder.
(8) Custom buttons can be created in Thunderbirt but a knowledge of programming (and the Thunderbird DOM) that’s beyond most non-technical users is required.
(9) Thunderbird is available in many languages as separate downloads. Eudora is available in German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Swedish. Unclear if MIT’s Eudora site license string will work with these localized versions.
(10) The most common use of LDAP in Outlook is to perform searches. But this has a counter-intuitive interface, and support staff find themselves repeatedly showing users how to perform a search.
(11) Thunderbird LDAP has been observed NOT working under Windows Vista, but does work on the other platforms (Linux, MacOS, Windows XP.)
(12) Requires a plug-in.
(13) With the aid of a 3rd party application.
|
