Outlook 2003 vs 2007 vs 2010?

[Charlie98]

Three-way smackdown!

Outlook 2010 is leaps and bounds above 2003.

That quote was peeled off another thread (I didn't want to contaminate the OP...) but it got me wondering... are the newer versions of Outlook better?

I had to convert to Outlook 2003 when I moved my new system to W7 (no Outlook Express.) To say I'm frustrated with O'03 would be an understatement... it's layout, it's lack of customization, the inability to apply folder changes to ALL the folders at once.

How much more user-friendly is O'07 or O'10 over Outlook 2003? Is it worth the cost to upgrade? I would be buying the whole Office wad, so the cost is not inconsequential.

What do I do with my email? All I do is download email and file it; I don't sync anything, I don't use calendars, I hate contact lists (one of my criticisms of O'03.) ...I look at my email and file it appropriately.

(Please don't turn this into a Outlook hatefest... yes, I know the ___-mail client (insert your favorite here) is better than Outlook, but that's where I'm at.)

 

[villanim]

Outlook 2007/2010 added new features, such as the people pane, as it integrates with social networking. Microsoft also changed the Outlook HTML editor from a browser based one to Word based, which has been known to cause some issues with HTML messages. The Word based HTML editor is not a standards compliant editor, so it does not supports Flash objects, animated gifs, CSS, advanced css, padding and margin support, HTML accessibility support, and background images are just a few of the omissions. Microsoft made this change under the so called "security" umbrella, but you may receive emails from someone on an older version of Outlook (pre-2007) or an entirely different mail system, and the message will be garbled. The only work around is to do a reply to the message, highlight the entire message and change the font, then you will be able to read it. Or you could view the message in a browser.

 

[Dulanic]

Honestly, unless you are using in a fully deployed office enviroment you won't be aware of half of the advantages. When you work in a group workplace enviroment the integration of Outlook & Sharepoint & Access & Infopath & a dozen other office things that integrate is when you see how much there is.

For at home use... fuck it lol, there is little reason to use outlook.

 

[pauldun170]

If all you are doing is downloading email and "filing it", Outlook is overkill.
With over a decade of emails, contact lists and calendars scattered across 5 versions of outlook, being able to dig up an old harddrive and easily import some ancient PST with no issues has been a huge plus.
Its pretty much like the rest of MS office suite.
Overkill and not worth the cost for most users, but once you learn to use the features, everything else looks like half assed trash.
If I were to improve one thing, it would be the ability to search attachment contents. (You received an email 3 years ago with a 200 page report attached that you swear mentioned something about "low earth ion cannon". In Notes, I'd just type in the find box and it would search all email and email attachments for "low earth ion cannon". Outlook just searches the email)
That's one thing I miss from Lotus Notes.

For me, 2003 was ok.
2007 was better with nicer features
2010 was faster.

 

[radhak]

I am amazed that you use so little of Outlook's functionality, and yet don't want to consider other options despite the steep price (the whole MS Office? whew!). If you'd move to Thunderbird, it might be a small initial learning curve (very small, for your usage), but it would be free and you'd keep upgrading forever for free.

At work I've been on Outlook 03, then 07 and now 10 ever since we migrated from Lotus Notes. I love Outlook for its full power, and particularly its user-friendliness over Lotus Notes. Its integration with other MS products, even SharePoint is lovely.

The one thing I've not bothered to do with Outlook is customize its views/folders, so can't speak to your frustration point, or if 10 is better in that fashion. I'm sure you can download a 30-day eval copy and try it out. And then also try out other clients like Thunderbird. Trust me, your wallet will thank you.

 

[Barfo]

I use 2010. My employer doesn't give me a choice. It's ok.