Windows Live Mail

[Barbara 92021]

Here is a quote about WLM and I want to know if it is true and, if true, what
does it mean: "Windows Live Mail is a web application that will synchronize
all your personal email accounts, passwords, contacts, messages, between your
hard drive and Microsoft servers."

I've read alot of stuff I found in a Google search for stationery and WLM,
where people are saying that they've read the same, or similar, stuff as the
above quote. Isn't WLM like Outlook Express where it is on my harddrive and
has nothing to do with MS???

 

[John Barnett MVP]

WLM is Microsoft server based, if it wasn't you wouldn't be able to
synchronise your mail, contacts etc. Any of Microsoft's 'live' applications
is web based, another example is Live Messenger. Eventually even your word
processing application will be web based - Google already have web based
office applications such as word processing.

I suppose it all depends upon how paranoid a person is regarding security.
An email sent to you starts off on someone's computer and ends on yours - in
between everything is web based, yes they can be intercepted, yes they can
be read. You ISP does that for you everyday and no one bothers.

--

--
John Barnett MVP
Windows XP Associate Expert
Windows Desktop Experience

Web: http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org
Web: http://vistasupport.mvps.org
Web: http://www.silversurfer-guide.com

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[Paul Smith]

Here is a quote about WLM and I want to know if it is true and, if true,
what
does it mean: "Windows Live Mail is a web application that will
synchronize
all your personal email accounts, passwords, contacts, messages, between
your
hard drive and Microsoft servers."

I've read alot of stuff I found in a Google search for stationery and WLM,
where people are saying that they've read the same, or similar, stuff as
the
above quote. Isn't WLM like Outlook Express where it is on my harddrive
and
has nothing to do with MS???

Hello Barbara.

If you're using Windows Live Mail like Outlook Express, i.e. connecting to a
3rd party e-mail service through POP3 or IMAP it will work just like Outlook
Express - your e-mail doesn't live up on Microsoft's servers (unless you're
using Hotmail) just on your local hard disk.

The cloud stuff comes in when you login with your Windows Live ID, that way
you'll get all your Live Contacts etc sent down so instead of having
multiple contact lists you just have one, that is stored up on Microsoft's
servers and as such is available through Windows Live Mail when you're
signed in.

I think there maybe some confusion back a year or two ago Windows Live Mail
referred to what is now Windows Live Hotmail (where yes your e-mail is
stored on Microsoft's servers), and Windows Live Mail Desktop referred to
what is now Windows Live Mail (where your e-mail was also stored locally).

--
Paul Smith,
Yeovil, UK.
Microsoft MVP Windows Desktop Experience.
http://www.dasmirnov.net/blog/
http://www.windowsresource.net/

*Remove nospam. to reply by e-mail*

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Windows Live Mail is basically a standalone desktop email client like
Windows Mail and Outlook Express. It has options for web enhancements,
but they are not mandatory. If you want the sync capabilities, you will
need to configure it to login to a Hotmail/Live account, which can be
done in the background, if you want.
That quote is partially wrong in that it is not a web app per se, and it does
not sync accounts or passwords. It does sync contacts and messages, and,
in the latest beta, calendar data.

 

[Mickey Segal]

Microsoft has been trying to seem so cloud-aware that they are confusing
people who want their email messages to reside on their computer and making
them think this is no longer possible. But as the others have pointed out,
running Windows Live Mail can be as local as Outlook Express or Vista's
Windows Mail.

I tried Windows Live Mail and switched back to Windows Mail because the
interface was so optimized for prettiness that it is close to useless on a
computer with a small screen, as detailed at www.segal.org/tablet/live/. It
is amazing how Apple is getting good at dealing with small screens and
Microsoft is trying to emulate Apple's prettiness but getting worse at
dealing with small screens.

All of this is very unfortunate since Windows Mail is being phased out and
its bugs are not getting fixed.