Here's world-class e-mail

by DANA H. SHULTZ


Eudora Pro, a favorite of readers, is a top-notch Internet e-mail software which may entice you to convert from your program

Earlier this year, I discussed the frustrations posed by alternative formats for encoding Internet e-mail attachments. Several readers contacted me (by e-mail, of course) to sing the praises of Eudora Pro, noting its ability to automatically encode and decode both MIME and Uuencode attachments. I decided to take a look.

Qualcomm Incorporated of San Diego has created a tight, efficient e-mail package. In contrast to applications which are so bloated that dozens of diskettes or a CD-ROM are required, Eudora Pro Version 2.2 comes on two diskettes -- and that includes versions for both Windows 3.1 and Windows 95/NT. (A separate Macintosh version is also available.)

Quick execution

Tight software code means quick execution. Eudora Pro is blazingly fast. The software loads in two seconds on a 90-megahertz Pentium PC running Windows 3.1. Most operations occur almost instantaneously.

As advertised, Eudora Pro handles MIME and Uuencode (and Macintosh BinHex) attachments with ease. When a message is created, the user selects the attachment format from a pull-down menu. When a message is received, Eudora Pro automatically decodes the attachment and stores it in a user-specified directory.

A full-featured spell check function is included. The user can tell Eudora Pro not to check the original text in a message that is being forwarded or replied to -- a handy, time-saving feature.

Message filtering

Are you overwhelmed by the number of messages you receive every day? One of Eudora Pro's most powerful features is filtering.

The user can create matching criteria based on the presence or absence of specific text in any header field or the message body. Multiple matching criteria can be combined.

Matching messages can be edited (change the subject field, assign a color-coded label, change the message priority) and automatically routed to mailboxes. One example: Any message from a particular client can be routed to a mailbox with that client's name for immediate attention.

From my perspective, there is only one significant feature missing from Eudora Pro: the ability to drag a message from one mailbox and drop it into another. Instead, messages are transferred between mailboxes based on menu selections. Drag-and-drop transfers are to be provided in Version 3.0, which is due out later this year.

In summary, Eudora Pro is top-notch Internet e-mail software. Its features were attractive enough to make me switch over from SPRY AIR Mail, even though I could not automatically convert my address book or hundreds of filed messages.

The single-user list price is $89. Multi-user packs are priced at between $22.50 and $35.75 per user depending on quantity. Qualcomm may be contacted at 619/587-1121 or on the World Wide Web at http://www.qualcomm.com.


Dana H. Shultz is an Oakland-based lawyer He may be reached by e-mail at dhshultz@dsa.com and on the World Wide Web at http://seamless.com/ds/.

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