Outlook Express vs Office Outlook 2003

[MrWoollie]

For mail I have been using Outlook Express for some time and it does what I want in a basic mail program.

However, the new purchase Office 2003 comes with Microsoft Office Outlook 2003. Is it worth the change? Is this an improvement? a step backwards? no real advantage? If it is an improvement can mailbox etc be imported?

Will take advice.

In advance thanks

MrW

[Gertrude the Wombat]

For a single user on a home system picking up mail from an ISP's POP mailbox (or three) in the normal way I use Outlook Express largely because it has a newsreader integrated and Outlook never used to have (I don't know about more modern versions).

Also, but this may be a feature of the site where I'm using it, Outlook appears slower to do things like download more than a couple of messages from a POP3 mailbox than Outlook Express, which can download several messages per second on a good day.

On the other hand Outlook has the calendar and Outlook Express doesn't. So it's a balance between newsreader, speed and calendar.

[egbt]

Outlook calls the Outlook express newsreader when required.

Outlook has better contact management, archiving, multi-folders etc and you can set up your own views to form mini databases but if you only need basic mail there will not be much benefit.

[mazzy1026]

We use outlook in the office as the primary means of communication - I think it is more geared towards this environment, i.e. it is designed an internal communication tool (as well as external too of course) by setting up meetings and appointments with people, and viewing other peoples folders etc, as well as those mentioned above.

At home however, I just want something to check POP/SMTP mail etc, without all the other facilities of Outlook.

Regards,

Maz