mr.sumo.snr wrote:
> Outlook 'Express' is SUCH a pain in the arse for managing backups and
> identities.

Try uninstalling this beast some time. Following microsoft's instructions,
it takes a minimum of an hour.

> I use Outlook - which when all is said and done is
> overkill for a home user - but at least I can make a straightforward
> back-up and transfer it to a new XP installation. (Straightforward as
> long as you can instantly recognize and understand a 'pst' file
> extension name and are also comfortable negotiating a very
> complicated backup program menu).

Beware having all your emails in a single file -- if that thing gets
corrupted, you lose everything. At least back it up often, with multiple
save points.

> Maybe someone who was using e-mail 15 years ago can explain why it is
> that mail messages don't act like normal files - I say 15 years ago
> since this sounds to me like a problem that exists due to something
> that was set in stone many moons ago.

I really miss the elm/pine days on unix, when every email was saved as a
discrete text file, and email folders corresponded to actual folders on your
disc (well, elm didn't have folders).

Outlook express is crap, and outlook is a PITA (with outlook 2003, you have
to muck about in the registry just to be able to accept exe attachments).
But I have yet to find another program that met my needs -- especially
unicode/Japanese support and integrated mail/news.

One of these days I'm just going to write my own email & news app, where
every email is saved as a discrete xml file, and attachments are saved as
separate files as well.

> Documents folder (if you're lazy) and fire it up.  I just don't see
> why e-mail messages can't behave like doc files and sit in your My
> Documents folder - or am I missing some blatantly obvious explanation
> as to why this would be a 'bad thing'.

Ostensibly it is to keep dumb users from worrying about complicated stuff
like files and folders, but really it is to kill off competition. Offer a
free app with a non-standard format, kill off the commercial competition,
then use it to drive sales of the money-making products. Standard MO.

-- 
Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom