Mozilla 1.0 Not Ready for Prime Time -- Close but No Cigar and No Brass Ring!

Mozilla 1.0 Browser-Suite's E-Mail & News Quick Look

The Mozilla browser-suite, including the Mozilla E-Mail and News module, as reflected in the Mozilla 1.0 final release and pre-release test builds, has seen much improvement over the past year or so. Mozilla 1.0 is fairly stable and usable -- but it is not rock-solid.

The Mozilla 1.0 E-Mail and News module does not offer any compelling, performance or feature-set reason for people to switch from other popular e-mail and newsgroup client software to AOL-Netscape's Mozilla E-Mail and News client software. On the basis of overall look, feel, and performance, Qualcomm's Eudora 5.1.1 (paid version) is a better choice than AOL-Netscape's Mozilla 1.0 E-Mail and News client for the Microsoft Windows desktop.

We find that Mozilla 1.0 is just too darn buggy and too lacking in polish to recommend it for the MS Windows desktop. However, if the Mozilla/Netscape developers would ever get their acts together and do some serious program polishing and bug control, plus add a decent spell-checker, the Mozilla E-Mail and News client software could become the E-Mail and News client software of choice for the MS Windows desktop -- but it is not there now!

In the Linux arena there is a nice assortment of E-Mail and News client software available, such as KDE's KMail. We see no compelling reason to use the Mozilla E-Mail and News client software instead of the KMail E-Mail client and KNode News client software. Additionally, because KMail and KNode are both part of the K Desktop (KDE) package for the Linux operating system, they have very similar desktops and user interfaces -- much as with the common user interface and desktop of the Mozilla E-Mail and News client software.

Mozilla, KMail and KNode are free and come with most all Linux distributions. Thus, you can try any or all of these software products at no charge to you. Although the Eudora 5.1.1 e-mail client software we recommend costs $40, you can take a look at a stripped-down version, Eudora 5.1.1 Light, at no cost to you. Or, you can look at the Advertisement version of Eudora 5.1.1, which is fully featured, to try before you buy.

Regardless of AOL-Netscape and its Mozilla Organization's rotten attitude towards end-users and regardless of the problems and immaturity of Mozilla 1.0, it's worth taking the Mozilla 1.0 E-Mail and News client software for a spin. That way you can see how the Mozilla 1.0 E-Mail and News client software works (or does not work) for you.

Mozilla 1.0 builds are available for the BSD, Linux, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, OS/2, Sun, and several UNIX platforms. Source code is available if you want to custom compile your own Mozilla builds. If you have not already tried Mozilla, download a copy and give it a try.

Incidentally, please check the MozillaQuest Magazine front-page (mozillaquest.com) sidebar every now and then for bug-count updates and for upcoming post-Mozilla 1.0 progress updates. MozillaQuest Magazine will have additional post-Mozilla 1.0 release information as it becomes available. Please check the MozillaQuest Magazine front page regularly for Mozilla 1.x release articles and news too.

Stay Tuned.

Take Mozilla 1.0 for a Test Drive

If you would like to take a look at Mozilla 1.0 E-Mail and News client software you can download Mozilla 1.0 for free. If you have a pre-1.0 Mozilla installation, you ought to upgrade it to Mozilla 1.0. Please see our Mozilla 1.0 Is Out article for download info and links.

Products

Eudora 5.1.1 Download Area

KDE

KMail

KNode

Konqueror

NetCaptor

Mozilla Bugs

Bugzilla Bug 144639 (Opening addressbook pops up browser window and hangs Mozilla)