Free email client suggestions

[mickw]

I'm thinking of ditching OE having just ditched IE and Chrome in favour of Firefox.

I have several email accounts including Google, Hotmail and Yahoo which I will need to access
I'd also like to import settings and folders etc.

I'm trying Thunderbird at the moment but I can't get it access a couple of accounts (despite Add-Ons)
Windows Live looks like it might work OK, Eudora also looks like a possibility.

Any views or suggestions ?

[Ian]

what sort of accounts does Thunderbird struggle with?

[mickw]

It Doesn't like Hotmail for some reason despite downloading add-ons from here :
http://webmail.mozdev.org/installation.html

I even read the instructions 

Can't import saved mails either 

[Mac]

Any views or suggestions ?

I'd try google mail.
I personally favour chrome over firefox.
You could always try safari.

Mac

[RobertM]

After the German government recommending that people not use IE because of it's vulnerabilities (read wakeup call) I've just installed Chrome on my imaging laptop.  I must stay I'm quite impressed, no clutter, super quick (at the moment anyway) and lightweight.  Good suggestion Mac.

[Mike]

I use Thunderbird. It is excellent. Never a problem with it.

Why use hotmail as your email? Do you not have an email accoutn with your ISP?

[mickw]

Why use hotmail as your email?

I've had hotmail for years and it just seems a shame to get rid of it, although I only use it for the .net thing and to receive the occasional spam    Can't even remember what .net does now, but it's Microsoft so it must be something good 

Got emails from my providers virgin and ex-bt, but not sure who I'm going to be with next year

[Mike]

So get a fixed one.

I can give you a ........@amateur-astronomy.org one if you want.

[mickw]

not use IE because of it's vulnerabilities

Strangely my uncle had his credit card "compromised" and Cahoot suggested that Firefox was one of the worst for security and IE was their preferred browser 

I'm starting to think Chrome again 

[Rick]

All browsers get attacked. More effort goes into compromising the popular ones. What matters is how quickly a fixed version is available once a flaw is discovered. Usually, Firefox gets fixed within a day or three, while IE tends to get fixed in the next Black Tuesday patch, and Safari gets fixed sometime. I've not watched Chrome's fix-time lag.

Most browsers have some security options, and it's generally not a good idea to turn them off. Firefox can also use add-ons like NoScript which can (if you use them sensibly) help avoid scripting attacks and such-like.

Of course, credit-card information is only as safe as the sites and shops to which you disclose it...

Remind me not to get a credit card from Cahoot. 

[Mac]

Strangely my uncle had his credit card "compromised" and Cahoot suggested that Firefox was one of the worst for security and IE was their preferred browser

i'd get him to check that the sites he uses are secure.
i.e. they start with https:// and not http://

That way all the information that is sent is encrypted before it sent.
also just check that there is a secure padlock on the screen as well.

I personally dont believe that his card was compromised through a normal shopping web site. Through any browser.

my guess is either he has had his card skimmed and cloned, very very common abroad, especially in restaurants..
(if you go abroad, when you get home report your card as stolen!!, that way your old card details and numbers will be cancelled, you new card will have a completely different number
so your old card cant be used for fraudulent shopping. If you tell them you have lost it, your new card will have exactly the same numbers, so any compromised cards will still work.)

or he has fallen for one of those "your bank details are incorrect scams".
They are getting pretty good nowdays at trickery.

I've used online shopping now for years, an have never had a problem, as for the scam bank e-mails, i just give them fake details.

Mac.

[Mike]

Online shopping is as safe as you can get. You're far more likely to get done by handing it over in a shop. Same as Mac I must make about 20 orders a week using a debit card and have never had any problems.

[Rick]

I've twice had my credit card replaced following data thefts from online retailers, but neither theft was down to a browser vulnerability. On both occasions the supposedly secure web host was cracked. Thankfully, both times, the retailer contacted me to tell me of the theft, though on one occasion the thief had already tried to use the card.

[mickw]

When I worked for a local firm I tried to do an online purchase on the company credit card, the site rejected it twice so I borrowed a card from one of the other guys which worked OK.

Next day I tried to get some fuel and found my card was stopped - went back to the office, rang the bank, card had been cloned and was flagged as dodgy at a cash point in Thailand.
Next day, a phone call from the bank re the other card, there was a spending frenzy going on in Germany
I reckon the reason my one was flagged so quickly was I'd changed my PIN.

I suspect the card details were obtained from Hong Kong or Shanghai 

My personal card was ripped last year after buying some electronics in a local shop, who also sell ally cases
Flagged when there was an on-line purchase failure due to wrong PIN (I'd changed it)  - being a curious bugger, I had a look at the on-line site and the amount seemed to tie in quite nicely to an iPhone and shipping to the UK  - Although the whole thing looks dodgy with a PIN being needed for an on-line purchase 
Or does the card number and "security number" tie in with the PIN - to a retailer ?

[mickw]

Forgot to mention - I'm sticking with Outlook Express 

I know it's one of the devils applications, but it works 

[Rick]

Although the whole thing looks dodgy with a PIN being needed for an on-line purchase 

You should never need your PIN for an online purcase. It should only be needed when your card has been plugged into an EPOS reader. Any online site asking for your PIN is up to no good.

Or does the card number and "security number" tie in with the PIN - to a retailer ?

The "security number" should be printed on the back of the card, and is usually required for online transactions. The theory is that it should be sent to the card provider (as a check that the purchaser has the physical card in hand) when verifying the transaction, but not recorded for future use. Then, if the retailer's data is stolen there's still one bit of information missing. Sometimes, theory doesn't match reality...

Any site asking for both PIN and security number is definitely up to no good.

[Ian]

just to be clear, there is never a reason to use your PIN online. It's is physically tied to the card and is merely a way of tying you as a person to that particular card.

The security number is a different animal entirely and is part of the number printed on the back of the card. It's supposed to validate the fact that you have the physical card in your posession, but seeing as now the world and their dog ask for it, it's merely an embuggerance and does nothing to enhance the security of the card. I'm sure that, like chip and PIN, the banks will find a way of shirking their responsibilities in ensuring your security with it though.