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Author Topic: opera deserves a real try  (Read 17125 times)

cphischu

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opera deserves a real try
« on: April 14, 2006, 06:34 AM »
I noticed that the review just passed over opera's mail client.
As a user of it for a few years now, i appreciate this program a lot. So let me explain a bit.
opera handles mails differently: it considers the mail base as a data-base, and that's what it is after all.
 Each mail is a record in mail file. The mail is accessed via indexes like a record in a file. one can create as many indexes as necessary and of any kind. The usual filters are replaced by indexes. The first advantage of this system is speed, as mails are no more moved around. the second avantage is space, because to see a mail in 2 places one has 2 indexes, not 2 mails. when one creates a new contact, it is a new index and you get immediately all the mails from an to this contact. default indexes of opera are the contacts, recieved, sent, spam, trash, active threads, unread, joined files. then one can add new indexes simple or conbinated. once used to it, it is incredibly powerfull.
the negative point: one can't create html mails. contact list must be exported to be used by other programs.
Very often people are too lazy to give such a different program a chance to show how natural it is to work with, just because they are stuck in their habits. this one needs to do that effort, but reward is great!

allen

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Re: opera deserves a real try
« Reply #1 on: April 14, 2006, 09:20 AM »
Opera M2 behaves very much in the same way as Gmail (rather, M2 did it first so one could argue that should be stated inversely :) -- with the labels rather than true folders, contacts being virtual folders themselves, single flat data base, etc. -- and it really does work quite well.  Because of Opera's keyboard-power-user-friendliness, the Mail client is inherently keyboard friendly as well.  And something can really be said for Opera's adaptive filters -- they work brilliantly when trained properly.

The only problem, for me -- is presently, a large enough mail base in M2 can result in dramatic performance issues.  Especially when the mail panel is active and a large view is open.  It seems one can work around this by taking care to always leave the last mail view one of a smaller nature.  This is one argument for users having separate mail/browser software -- one doesn't drag the other down ;)

For average mail bases or general use, though, M2 is highly competent.  As for it not having a rich text editor, I see that as a feature not a shortcoming :D

cphischu

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Re: opera deserves a real try
« Reply #2 on: April 14, 2006, 12:13 PM »
wow, you must have a big mail base, then. mine is about 6000 mails and i didn't notice any performance loss.  :Thmbsup:

allen

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Re: opera deserves a real try
« Reply #3 on: April 14, 2006, 07:48 PM »
Around 50,000 -- give or take. ;)

mouser

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Re: opera deserves a real try
« Reply #4 on: April 15, 2006, 01:12 AM »
however, it should be said that 90% of allen's emails are between him and his other personalities, so i'm not sure if they should count.  :huh:

cphischu

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Re: opera deserves a real try
« Reply #5 on: April 15, 2006, 02:14 AM »
a good way for not feeling alone  8)

allen

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Re: opera deserves a real try
« Reply #6 on: April 15, 2006, 06:21 AM »
Hey, you leave my sent folder out of this!

Carol Haynes

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Re: opera deserves a real try
« Reply #7 on: July 10, 2006, 06:37 AM »
What are the Import and Export facilities like in Opera Mail ? (Account settings / mail / contacts / folder structures etc.)

Having just installed and removed theBat and Courier  I don't want to install any more email clients until I know in advance that I can easily move all my email and contact related info from Outlook XP (and back again if I need to).

Thanks

Ampa

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Re: opera deserves a real try
« Reply #8 on: July 10, 2006, 07:39 AM »
Looking at Opera 9...

Mail Import from: Opera 5/6, Eudora, Netscape 6/7, Outlook Express, mbox and Thunderbird

Opera stores its mail in standard mbox format, which can be imported by most email apps.

rjbull

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Re: opera deserves a real try
« Reply #9 on: July 10, 2006, 08:01 AM »
Opera stores its mail in standard mbox format

How about its address books?  Can it do CSV files?


Carol Haynes

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Re: opera deserves a real try
« Reply #10 on: July 10, 2006, 10:19 AM »
Thanks - except Outlook apparently. I know I can go via Outlook Express to Opera (but it is a bit of a hassle way to do things) but it isn't clear if I can go back?

Ampa

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Re: opera deserves a real try
« Reply #11 on: July 10, 2006, 05:39 PM »
rjbull: No Opera uses its own file format (.adr) BUT you can use this online tool to convert from adr to csv.

Or for a more comprehensive tool, you might try Dawn which seems like a nice freeware / donationware utility.

Carol: There are tools out there that will convert any format to any other... but they are not cheap especially if you need Outlook format.  Aid4Mail seems pretty comprehensive; or ABC Amber Outlook Converter which is significantly cheeper!
« Last Edit: July 10, 2006, 05:50 PM by Ampa »

rjbull

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Re: opera deserves a real try
« Reply #12 on: July 11, 2006, 04:22 AM »
rjbull: No Opera uses its own file format (.adr) BUT you can use this online tool to convert from adr to csv.

Thanks, noted for reference.

Or for a more comprehensive tool, you might try Dawn which seems like a nice freeware / donationware utility.

I'd forgotten Dawn, though I had looked at it once for convering my CompuServe access software's address books.  It wouldn't do that, I think because my WinCIM is too old.  Oh, well, if I will keep using Win 3.1 software from 1995...    :o

Carol Haynes

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Re: opera deserves a real try
« Reply #13 on: July 11, 2006, 05:21 AM »
Thanks guys - I think I am going to stick to Outlook for the mo - having tried the others I don't feel particularly comfortable with them. Plus X1 nicely indexes all all my Outlook mail (including all my archived stuff) which is very handy.

telemachus

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Re: opera deserves a real try
« Reply #14 on: July 30, 2006, 05:20 AM »
hey there again carol,
I have also been re-looking at Outlook, been fiddling with the "conversation" sorting, but the only negative so far is that ALL messages are given a conversation thread, which is irritating since most messages are not part of a conversation thread.
Perhaps there is a way to tell Outlook there should be a minimum of 2 messages before it is regarded as a conversation, but i dont see that option.
catcha later
mark.

Carol Haynes

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Re: opera deserves a real try
« Reply #15 on: July 30, 2006, 10:42 AM »
I hadn't noticed Outlook threading messages? Do you mean Outlook Express (it is a different program - Outlook is part of MS Office)