Mozilla Thunderbird is the recommended email client for use on Windows. Thunderbird is a free open source Email client for Mac and PC. Thunderbird gives you IMAP/POP support, support for HTML mail, labels, quick search, smart address book, return receipts, advanced message filtering, LDAP address completion, import tools, powerful search, manage multiple e-mail and newsgroup accounts, and effective tools for detecting junk mail. You may download Thunderbird or visit to official Help and Set-up pages.

An introduction to Thunderbird, part 1

Microsoft Outlook Express has for a number of years been the leading application for sending and receiving e-mails. This is not only due to a good functionality, but also due to the monopolization from Microsoft, and the lack of competitive programs.

Thunderbird is one of those programs which can compete with MS Outlook Express, not only because it has similar functionality, but it's also user friendly, and it's freeware.

Thunderbird, and other Open Source programs, are products developed by a community of developers. As everything else, this community ain't flawless. IMHO it seems they use too much energy and time developing programs, and fighting the everlasting battle against monopoly. I'm sure I'm not the first one to think about this, but what if the community had spent more time enlightening the masses? I don't see myself as a guru when it comes to handling programs, yet Thunderbird is quite easy to use.

People's fear of the new and unknown might be a missed issue, which needs to be put on the agenda. Throughout this article, I will try to help you understand Thunderbird, as the excellent, free program it is.

Why Thunderbird?

• It's user friendly, easy to install, easy to use.
• It's freeware, meaning, you can download it from the web, no charge.
• Cross platform, you can use it with Windows as well as the GNU/Linux operating system.

These reasons alone should make you consider using this program.

How to download?

http://www.mozilla.org/projects/thunderbird. At this URL you will always find the newest version of Thunderbird, you will also find additional information about Thunderbird there, as well as upgrades and extensions, if you are interested in those sorts of things.:) If you don't have a zip program http://www.winzip.com/ddchomea.htm this is the place to get it. Or as a Roy Anthony said and I quote:

There are better and free (with no registration nags) zip programs than WinZip, such as 7-zip (very good, fast, multiple formats and Open source) at http://www.7-zip.org/ and FreeZip (small, minimalist just zip files AFAIK) http://members.ozemail.com.au/~nulifetv/freezip/.

How to install?

Open your zip program, unzip the Thunderbird file into a new directory, for most of you this will be C:\Program Files\Mozilla\. In the Mozilla folder you should now have a new folder named Thunderbird, open the Thunderbird folder and you should see a Thunderbird icon, press it.

Configuration?

When you open Thunderbird for the first time, you need to create a new account, I will try to show you this step by step.

• First click on "Create a new account".
  
  
  
  
• Select on "Email account" and press next.
  
  
  
  
• Fill in your name and email address, press next.
  
  
  
  
• Now you are asked to fill in the incoming server, for me it's "mail.zoper.com", you may be asked for outgoing server aswell, usually this is the same server, press next.
  
  
  
  
• Now you are asked to fill in your user name for your email provider, for example "jsmith", press next.
  
  
  
  
• Now you are asked what you would like to call this account, choose yourself, press next.
  
  
  
  
• You will get a summary, check your information, and if everything is ok press finish.
  
  
  
  
• Mark your email address and press "Get mail".
  
  
  
  
• You are immediatly asked for the password to your email account, fill in and press OK, you can also choose if you want Thunderbird to remember the password.

If you now have filled everything in correctly, you should now be able to enjoy Thunderbird. :)

Go to part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9