Author Topic: Apple Mail  (Read 1657 times)

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Apple Mail
« on: 08 December, 2017, 06:46:12 pm »
I've been having an odd problem with my Apple Mail for a while: basically, it sometimes takes ages to fetch new mail (if I look at gmail online via chrome, new mail is there sometimes hours before it arrives on my desktop), and sometimes it seems to get stuck when fetching new mail - the headers appear in the inbox but the content of the mail takes a looooong time to appear.

This is only a problem on my iMac - not on my Macbook - so I don't think it's a problem with my internet connection.

I have two main email accounts that I use, both gmail, so I wonder if it could be a gmail compatibility problem, except that would surely be a problem on the Macbook as well.

I've had a look at the Apple Mail preferences but can't see anything obvious there - it's set to check for new mail automatically.

I'm also wondering if there's possibly some problem with my iMac, since I've also had a few issues with Adobe CC lately (I keep having to reinstall the CC client), as well as the whole damn thing being generally very slow. I do hope not, as I can't really afford to replace it right now (however nice an excuse to buy a new iMac Pro would be).

Also been looking at alternatives to Apple Mail. Polymail looks intersting. Anyone used it? Or have any other suggestions?
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: Apple Mail
« Reply #1 on: 08 December, 2017, 06:48:10 pm »
I've been using PostBox since Apple Mail decided it didn't like my collection of email addresses. It does the same on my Production machine (Sierra, upgraded over time from an OS 4 years ago) and a brand new machine running Sierra.

So I moved to PostBox.
It is simpler than it looks.

ian

Re: Apple Mail
« Reply #2 on: 08 December, 2017, 07:48:55 pm »
Apple Mail, a bit like iTunes, had always been a bit shit. I dunno why, Apple can do it (to wit Safari, etc.)

That said, I have no issue with Mail and my gmail account. Occasionally it does do the thing (with any account) where it sticks on the downloading message body, no idea why, but it usually goes away quickish.

Re: Apple Mail
« Reply #3 on: 08 December, 2017, 09:21:35 pm »
It's full of blatant bugs that don't get fixed, I guess Apple have decided the cool kids don't use email any more so why waste developer effort on it. PostBox looks good, and $28 is not a lot, but it grates a bit to pay for something I've accepted as free since the days of JANET mail (late 80's?).
Quote from: tiermat
that's not science, it's semantics.

Re: Apple Mail
« Reply #4 on: 08 December, 2017, 09:38:15 pm »
For yearsI obsessed about Emal. I used Mutt or Emacs or whatever all carefully crafted with scripts to do amazing things.
About 5 years ago I gave up. Just use a Webmail front end. Its liberating.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

ian

Re: Apple Mail
« Reply #5 on: 08 December, 2017, 09:54:31 pm »
Apple Mail mostly works. Apple seem to think I want to use Happy! Stationery! And! Stuff! I don't.

I just want to send email. You know, words. I think I may be getting old.

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
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Re: Apple Mail
« Reply #6 on: 09 December, 2017, 09:21:01 am »
Say things like "Friends don't send each other HTML e-mail" and Young People looks at you askance.  If they actually know what you're talking about.
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ian

Re: Apple Mail
« Reply #7 on: 09 December, 2017, 11:40:36 am »
Ah, the brutality of war and harshness of defeat on that one. Tell them to put the reply at the bottom. And I don't know, maybe edit out the unnecessary bits of what you're responding to. Is that too much to ask? Apparently, yes, it is.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Apple Mail
« Reply #8 on: 09 December, 2017, 02:28:46 pm »
The RFC1855 quoting war was lost with Outlook, and the HTML war with Outlook Express.

These days, if the email isn't  a) a Facebook message  or  b) full of emoji you don't have a glyph for,  you're winning.   :(

Re: Apple Mail
« Reply #9 on: 09 December, 2017, 02:57:28 pm »
Say things like "Friends don't send each other HTML e-mail" and Young People looks at you askance.  If they actually know what you're talking about.
It is the 21st century.

I don't like change for change's sake but really there is a place for HTML email and that place is in business communication. Having to make PDFs and attach them just so someone can look at a table, because they won't turn on HTML email is plain ridiculous (they won't look at RTF attachments for some reason, nor will they use libre office or install word).
<i>Marmite slave</i>

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Apple Mail
« Reply #10 on: 09 December, 2017, 04:24:19 pm »
I've been using PostBox since Apple Mail decided it didn't like my collection of email addresses. It does the same on my Production machine (Sierra, upgraded over time from an OS 4 years ago) and a brand new machine running Sierra.

So I moved to PostBox.

I was looking at PostBox after seeing it recommended on some Mac fanboi website. Looks good. Although I do balk slightly at the idea of paying that much for an email client. Will certainly consider it though.

I guess Apple have decided the cool kids don't use email any more so why waste developer effort on it.

Not just Apple, to be fair.

Just use a Webmail front end. Its liberating.

I've tried using gmail's webmail front end. It makes Apple Mail seem like a paragon of user-friendliness.

I've long since given up expecting to find an email client that works how I want it to. I will settle for something that just works at all. Most of my communication with my colleagues is via Slack these days, which is fine because most of it is desultory stuff I don't need to save anyway. But email or phone remain the best ways to communicate with external contacts. Anyone who tries to contact me through other channels gets the silent treatment.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: Apple Mail
« Reply #11 on: 09 December, 2017, 04:35:13 pm »
Something else that Appl e Mail did for me was grunge up any image sent to a tiny thumbnail. No setting changes fixed that for me, I’d have to use Dropbox.
It is simpler than it looks.

Samuel D

Re: Apple Mail
« Reply #12 on: 09 December, 2017, 04:53:46 pm »
The Gmail web interface is clumsy but workable if you switch off as much rubbish as you can (Hangouts, Categories, etc.) and disable the threaded view mode. Apple doesn’t let you view one email at a time in iOS Mail anymore (no idea about macOS Mail), so half the time I’m not sure exactly whom I’m replying to or what I’m quoting, never mind whether there’s an attachment. Sometimes I mark something as unread (usually stuff I wish I hadn’t read), and then my inbox count goes up by about ten. At that point I search out a real computer to fix the mess.

All of this stuff is more obnoxious to use than five or ten years ago. Silicon Valley moves in mysterious ways.

Re: Apple Mail
« Reply #13 on: 10 December, 2017, 05:28:43 pm »
I find Google Inbox to be a much better web interface than Gmail.

I did try Postbox briefly as an alternative to Apple Mail - but it does not work correctly with Google’s All Mail or archiving and does not work in a way that matches Inbox’s “Done”, so I found it unusable.

ian

Re: Apple Mail
« Reply #14 on: 11 December, 2017, 09:20:44 am »
The problem these days is the developers think email is dull so are desperate to somehow improve the 'experience' (I suspect more for their benefit than ours). Hence all email clients being a bit crap.