If you use a Windows Live email address, that being any address that ends in @hotmail.com, @msn.com or @live.com, you can access the account right now in the Windows Live Mail client.

The immediate advantages of using WL Mail:

• No ads anywhere in the client
• No ads sent on outgoing mail
• Allows for local caching of mail for faster access and being able to read your mail offline
• Easier to attach files
• Faster than using the web interface

There are more but those are the biggies.

The way a Hotmail account is configured in WL Mail by default is to download a copy of every mail in your account (and no that does not mean once downloaded it deletes from the web version.) This unfortunately includes the Junk and Deleted folders, so every time your perform a mail check, anything in those folders is downloaded as well.

You can easily configure Hotmail to download only the headers by simply right-clicking on the folder and choosing the appropriate option.

It’s as simple as this:

Pictured above is done by doing the following:

1. Right-click the Junk e-mail folder.
2. Hover over Synchronization settings.
3. Click Headers only.

What this will do is download just the header and not the actual message. You will see the subject line but the mail will not be downloaded unless you actually open it.

I suggest doing this for both the Junk and the Deleted Items folder, because when you delete something you obviously don’t want it locally cached. Don’t worry, your deleted mail will still be there on a server level for 30 days unless you specifically choose to empty the Deleted Items folder.

Any folder in your Windows Live mail account can be set to Headers Only. This may prove to be an advantage for those that have bandwidth caps imposed by their ISP, or a slow internet connection. Headers are nothing but very small files and download almost instantly.

The WL mail client has no ads anywhere in it. Using it in combination with the headers only option makes it one of the speediest mail systems you can use.

Quick questions answered

Does the Windows Live Mail client use IMAP for Windows Live accounts?

No. Windows Live mail uses a proprietary protocol by Microsoft called DeltaSync. It allows for two-way synchronization of mail/contacts/calendar/notes, so it in fact does a whole lot more than just mail.

If I have a folder set to headers only and I delete a mail, does it get moved to the Deleted Items folder even though I don’t have to re-download it?

Yes. The way in which it works is that the WL Mail client has seamless synchronization with the web-based version. When you delete a mail and then click the Sync button (or just wait until the client performs another mail check), what you do on a local level will be reflected exactly in the web-based version, and can be loaded the same way on either platform. Even if you did not read the mail and deleted it, it will still be moved to the appropriate location.

Is there any way I can turn off the reading pane so I don’t automatically download an email when I click on it?

Yes, you can turn off the reading pane. First it should be noted that the reading pane is by design disabled whenever viewing the Junk e-mail folder. So even if you have it enabled and go inside the Junk e-mail folder, it will turn itself off when in there. However if you want it off all the time, press ALT+V to bring up the View menu, then click Layout.

You will see this:

Simply uncheck the box for Show the reading pane, then click Apply then OK.

Will adjusting synchronization settings for my Windows Live account affect any other Live or other POP/IMAP accounts I have in WL Mail?

No. Whatever you adjust for sync settings will only affect that specific account. It does not "carry over" to others.

Are headers re-downloaded every time I start the WL Mail client?

Yes. WL Mail ordinarily performs a mail check (what it called a "Sync") on startup unless you configured it otherwise. Being that headers are so small in size this will not be a cause for concern.

Will choosing headers only for specific folders affect the way I search mail in WL Mail?

Yes. Any search performed in a folder you have set to headers only will only search to/from addresses and subject line, but not the body of the message since it isn’t downloaded locally at that point. To perform full searches that include the body of the message, you will have to have full synchronization or use the web-based version.

If I currently have a folder set to full synchronization and switch to headers only, are the local copies removed for the mail in that folder?

No. If you want to configure a Live account with headers only for everything, remove the account from WL Mail and re-add it. On first check of mail, stop the process (click "Sync" twice to see the window and hit the stop button), set all folders to headers only, then perform another sync.

Got another question about Live mail and the WL Mail client? Leave a comment and ask.

AIM is the primary instant messenger I use. Out of all the IM services I’ve used over the years, it is the most reliable. In addition, it runs flawlessly on any operating system. Whether you’re on Windows, Mac or Linux, you can run AIM.

The latest client offering on the Windows platform is AIM 7 Beta 2.

Short review:

It’s awesome. If you use AIM, get it.

Long review:

This is best given in points.

• If you run multiple computers at home, you can run it on each computer at the same time. Previously I was only able to do this with AIM Lite.
• Following in the footsteps of AIM Express, messages from those not on your contact list will prompt a window asking if you want to chat with them or not. Previously this wasn’t there.
• Linked accounts work great. In addition, you can have them all set to invisible on login instead of having to set each individually.
• The interface is a whole lot cleaner and a lot less "cartoony" (something Yahoo and Windows Live suffer from in abundance).
• "Me" tab makes it super-easy to manage blocked users in just two clicks (you had to really dig for this previously).
• Integrates with Facebook and Twitter easily with new "Lifestream" tab.
• Integrates with Delicious and YouTube.
• Runs light and doesn’t eat up memory.
• I tested on my XP laptop and Win 7 PC. Runs great on both.

AIM 7 is full of awesome stuff. If you use AIM, you will really like this client.

Linux people in particular like the Telnet protocol because it allows easy command line interface access to PCs on a home network or small-biz setup. However if you have a Win 7 PC on your network, go to a prompt and type "telnet", the infamous "telnet is not recognized as an internal or external command.." shows up.

Is the telnet.exe program gone from Windows 7? No. You can easily put it back. Here’s how it’s done.

Step 1. Go to Control Panel, then Programs (big green link)

Step 2. Click Turn Windows Features on or off (blue link)

Step 3. Check the box for Telnet Client

…and that’s it.

You will have the telnet.exe program available from the command prompt again.

The default email client that comes bundled with Ubuntu is Evolution. Make no mistake, this is a really good email client (arguably just as good as Mozilla Thunderbird that also runs under Ubuntu easily).

Setting up an IMAP-enabled Gmail account in Evolution is fairly straightforward as long as you know where to enter in the SSL stuff and other odds and ends. Watch the video below to see how it’s done.

If you’ve ever delved into the world of having your own web site, you will inevitably have a need to send and retrieve files from your server via FTP.

FTP is really (and I mean really) old and still widely used. While it’s true you can send or receive files from the command line in any OS, the GUI way of doing it is much easier because you get things like drag’n'drop, mass uploading or downloading with subdirectories with just a few clicks and so on.

Filezilla

Where to get it: http://filezilla-project.org/

Supported OSes: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux

Whether you’re using Windows, Mac OS X or Linux, Filezilla is a rock-solid reliable stable FTP client with many features and an easy-to-use interface. Most people if given the choice of which free FTP client to use would most likely opt to go with Filezilla first.

WinSCP

Where to get it: http://filezilla-project.org/

Supported OS: Windows

WinSCP has also proven itself to be stable and reliable. Its drawback is that it’s Windows-only but definitely gets the job done. If you’re a Windows user you may prefer this over Filezilla as the interface is a bit easier to understand.

Core FTP

Where to get it: http://www.coreftp.com/

Supported OS: Windows

Core FTP has many features with command line support, but its single largest drawback is that it looks terrible. In addition there is a small "nag" screen each time you start it. But it’s free so you really can’t complain.

Need more choices?

A list of many FTP clients (both free and paid) are available here.

If you happen to be a Gmail user you probably noticed (as if you couldn’t) that the mail was down recently. Was it your fault? Of course not. It was Google’s fault.

Regular readers know that I (Rich, not Dave) don’t exactly have a fondness for Gmail due to its beta-riffic way of working – correction – not working in this instance.

More than a few have said that e-mail is going the way of the dodo but this Gmail outage definitely proves that to be 100% wrong. E-Mail is still an absolute vital means of internet communications that will continue to exist for many, many years. Proof of this is exemplified in the outpouring of outright anger from Gmail users when the mail didn’t work.

If one were to evaluate the importance of e-mail to other internet communication mediums, here’s how it fares out:

If a social networking site such as MySpace or Facebook has an outage, nobody really cares. The reaction is always the same. "Well.. it always sucked, so.. I guess I’ll just wait until they fix it." This also applies to microblogging sites like Twitter.

If an instant messaging service has an outage, people somewhat care. The typical reaction is "Well, that’s okay. I can send a text message via my phone until the service comes back online in a few hours."

When the mail stops flowing, this is when people go nuts because that’s where the truly important stuff happens. Online banking and a ton of billing systems are tied to e-mail. Attachments of important documents, other files and the like are stored in e-mail. Your electronic receipts for things you buy are in there. When the mail stops – even for just a few hours – this is bad.

One quickly comes to a realization that yes, the communications that matter really do happen in e-mail and nowhere else.

And although I don’t use POP3 mail, this outage does score a point for those that use it because even if the mail is down, you’ve got a local copy stored in the mail client. At least in that instance you’re down but not out. When all your mail is stored on the internet and your mail service goes down, you are truly down and out until it comes back.

aMSN is a free alternative to Windows Live Messenger. The immediate advantage of using aMSN is that it is not as memory-hungry as the client delivered by Microsoft.

In addition, as far as an alternative messenger app is concerned, this one more closely resembles traditional-looking clients rather than something totally new that takes you a few days to learn everything. aMSN is laid out in such a way where just about everything is familiar to those who have used the regular WLive client. (Even the system tray icon is familiar-looking.)

Lastly, aMSN is not just for Windows. It also runs on OS X and Linux. So if you use multiple operating systems, aMSN will look the same no matter what you run. Try it out – you may like it.

Oh, and by the way, if you were looking for a simple Hotmail notifier (something that tells you when mail comes in), even if you don’t use the chat features aMSN sits neatly in the tray and puts a small envelope icon there when you receive new mail. You can click on the envelope and get your mail afterwards. Nice touch.

This chapter is a video presentation.

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