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The Bat: Great program, terrible documentation and support

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JavaJones:
Sure, I can understand the desire to have control of your data. The question is what does that mean to you? Does it mean "in a format I can easily convert to other formats if desired"? Does it mean "easily backed up"? Does it mean "not on someone else's server ever, for security reasons"? (in which case you're basically screwed when it comes to email)

I'm sure I'm never going to change your mind, but I keep wondering exactly why The Bat is *the* solution to your problems.

- Oshyan

superboyac:
yes, yes, and yes.  I never want my stuff on other people's servers.  At least, not exculsively.  I must have my own copies here locally, so that I can back it up and all that.  I've written here about my backup methods, which are somehwat extreme for an individual user.  I must have spent thousands of dollars on it...and this is not even for my business!  The bat, despite my complaints, is probably the only program that has the power necessary for me to be comfortable with the future of all my life's emails.  The only other one that I used to use is Pegasus mail, but I switched to the Bat after I came to DC.  One great thing about the Bat is that you probably don't have to worry about the future of your data.  The way they've done it almost guarantees that you'll be able to get whatever you need out of it if things change later.

But it really comes down to keeping my data locally.  Seriously, if not for that, I probably wouldn't even use Windows.  If I did not care about my files and folders in an obsessive way, there is no way I'd even care about computers that much.  I don't care about operating systems, I don't care about gadgets and software (other than the "cool" factor).  i wouldn't care if things were cloud or not.  I'd be like my friends who just use whatever is there.  The same way i am with cell phones.  I could care less about losing all the data on my phone or my ipad.  So I just use them because I have to.  But the pc is where my life is basically stored.  So that's why I have this love/hate thing going on.

timns:
Actually, I'm with you, superboy. I have to have all my data locally. I would never, ever, trust my (or my company's data) on some server out there on the interwebs. What if they are hacked? What if they catch fire? What if my internet connection goes down? What if a disgruntled employee erases random data? What if they have a hardware failure and restore an older backup? What if they are DDOSed? What if they suddenly raise their rates by 10x?

All of that I believe is covered here by me personally with a UPS, shadowing, and off-site daily backup.

Plus, I do so hate going to some website to run an 'app' - for me, an application launches instantly on my desktop.

Armando:
I understand too the need to have all data locally. I do exactly the same.

But what do you need to do with your email, apart from classifying, sorting, filtering, searching and finding info in it?

Like many others I have my Google account (and others) synced with Outlook 2003. Never have a problem. And I back up my pst file everyday.

I use Windows Search to index my outlook stuff. I find everything, anything... in a flash. Same for my contacts, calendar etc. The cool thing when using Outlook is that you can also more easily use several handy features, like the "mail merge" function in MS Word (a great and not known enough feature), using your various outlook contact lists.

Oh, and everything in Outlook is easily exportable. You could even export all your emails to Gmail via imap (e.g. : for online backup purpose, if you trust Google).

timns:
I understand too the need to have all data locally. I do exactly the same.

But what do you need to do with your email, apart from classifying, sorting, filtering, searching and finding info in it?
-Armando (February 26, 2011, 12:52 PM)
--- End quote ---

Classify, sort, filter, search and find info in it - all the way back to 1995. I don't use Outlook, and if I only want to search my email, I find Thunderbird's searching ideal. I would not be happy having all of my email archive anywhere but on my local drive. It's over 4gb.

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