Okay, everybody. It’s time to abandon Entourage forever.
Here’s why:
1. Entourage stores its email in a huge database. If you have years of email that database can grow to around 4GB in size or higher. This is fine EXCEPT when you have a backup solution. Any time your backup program backs up it will automatically backup the entire 4GB database again. How annoying! Your 250GB hard drive that’s set aside to back up will be full right quick.
2. Apple Mail saves emails as individual files making it easier for Spotlight to search them and making it unnecessary to perform the Heimlich Maneuver on your backup solution.
3. Apple Mail handles pictures sublimely with iPhoto.
4. Picture attachments in Apple Mail can be compressed on the fly.
5. There are LOADS of plug-ins for Apple Mail. The best being Mail.Appetizer. Check them out here.
6. The new version of Apple Mail for the next OS 10.5 Leopard will be “Niiiiice” as Borat says.
7. Cleaner interface and less buttons to choose from (you don’t need them all… and if you want them you can add them).
8. The sending email sound is a jet sound going right to left. Nifty.
9. You’ll never have to “rebuild your database” or have the fear that the database could become unusable. (In fairness this only happenned with Entourage X).
10. It’s an Apple product integrated into the OS and it just works smarter.
The only thing to watch out for when switching over is importing the address book. Gotta make sure to get the addresses Entourage captures but have not put into the address book.
