New sonic.net webmail application

[virtualmike]

I have an ongoing problem when using the built-in mail client. ... I can not seem to resolve the issue that is why I use sonics web mail from browser. I checked settings on incoming and outgoing already.thanks.

Are you using IMAP or POP3? Are you on wifi or cell connection?

[virtualmike]

I've noticed odd behavior when the spellchecker pops up the message box to tell me there are spelling errors. After I dismiss the box by clicking the (X) at the top right, or after I wait for the box to go away by itself, I'm unable to edit in the message unless I double-click the text.

There's nothing that tells me it's necessary to double-click. Is this WAD? It's not normal behavior--most mail programs simply let the user edit the message.

If it's absolutely necessary to have the "double-click message to edit" behavior, is there a way the message pop-up could so indicate? ...thanks!

[mary]

There is no login timeout in the new application and I've had sessions open for several days on end without any issues.

My beta sessions time out like several times a day, unless I refresh every half hour or so.

PS. So did Squirrelmail. I thought that was intentional. I'd really like to stay logged in for several days on end.

[kgc]

If it's absolutely necessary to have the "double-click message to edit" behavior, is there a way the message pop-up could so indicate? ...thanks!

No, I'm sure it isn't. There is just some problem with where focus is returned to once the spell check is completed. I've added a bug for this.

[virtualmike]

No, I'm sure it isn't. There is just some problem with where focus is returned to once the spell check is completed. I've added a bug for this.

Thanks. That's a good point--I'm not sure where the focus goes, but regardless, it takes a double-click to edit. A single click appears to do nothing, but a click-and-drag will allow me to select text in the edit control. Even clicking twice (with enough time between the two not to be interpreted as a double-click) doesn't let me edit.

[MRP]

I didn't know I could use Outlook for my Sonic.net...will call the help line to have them walk me through that set up. Thank you very much! MRP

[dane]

I didn't know I could use Outlook for my Sonic.net...will call the help line to have them walk me through that set up. Thank you very much! MRP

Of course - client applications on PCs, smartphones and tablet devices are going to be FAR better than a webmail solution of any sort. I personally see webmail as a solution to be used when one is a guest at a computer they do not own, for example, not for day-to-day use.

It's interesting that so many people do use webmail routinely, as opposed to a client application such as Thunderbird, Outlook, or the native client on a tablet or smartphone. If you're one of those folks, do consider changing to a client, unless you're on dialup, it'll generally be a faster solution than any webmail option.

For those with desktop systems on a broadband connection, Thunderbird is a great option, and it's free. You can download it here: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/

If you're using a tablet or smartphone, just add your Sonic.net account to the built-in email client. We support IMAP, and it'll fully synchronize with your desktop IMAP client, such as Thunderbird or Outlook - and with webmail too!

For those on dialup, consider satellite. It's far faster than dialup, and you'll have a better online experience. The new Exede product is better than past satellite options, ring 1-888-559-8674 to learn more and get started.

But, if you can't get any sort of broadband connection and dialup is your only option, webmail is useful because it doesn't automatically download large attachments like photos that folks send. Not downloading these unless you want them avoids the slowdown and delay caused by huge downloads.

In summary - for those stuck on dialup, webmail is not a bad choice. But if you have broadband, even satellite, and if you're using a computer, smartphone or tablet that you own, consider a native IMAP client!

[virtualmike]

It's interesting that so many people do use webmail routinely, as opposed to a client application such as Thunderbird, Outlook, or the native client on a tablet or smartphone.

I blame it on the first free mail providers (Yahoo!, Hotmail, etc.), who only offered a webmail option. That was the first email experience for many users, who thought webmail is email, and subsequently, once they got ISPs at home, expected to continue using a webmail interface. And the ISPs realized it's a lot easier to support one webmail offering than multiple email clients.

But, if you can't get any sort of broadband connection and dialup is your only option, webmail is useful because it doesn't automatically download large attachments like photos that folks send. Not downloading these unless you want them avoids the slowdown and delay caused by huge downloads.

For dialup, I still recommend Thunderbird or another POP3/IMAP client. Both of those can be configured to work in two-pass mode (for both IMAP and POP3). The first pass fetches headers for all the messages. The user then marks messages, either for retrieval or to be deleted. The second pass takes those actions. All of the user's work is done on local files, avoiding waiting for a remote server to act upon a request and transfer data (which can take a few to many seconds, even on a high-speed line). It also means that the dialup connection time is minimized, because the mail client only stays connected for the time it is transferring data; one doesn't have to be connected while reading, composing, or marking messages.

I operated that way for about 6 years with Eudora, with a half dozen mailboxes, until I was able to get broadband. I found it to be more efficient than trying to work with any sort of online email (shell clients, webmail, etc.).

[virtualmike]

No, I'm sure it isn't. There is just some problem with where focus is returned to once the spell check is completed. I've added a bug for this.

Thanks. That's a good point--I'm not sure where the focus goes, but regardless, it takes a double-click to edit.

I grabbed two screen shots today, showing before and after the double-click:

Before:


After:


In the "Before" shot, notice the tiny gap between the vertical scroll bar and the right side of the text box, but the up and down arrows are flush with the top and bottom of the text box, respectively.

In the "After" shot, the scroll bar is flush with the right side of the text box, but there's a little gap between each arrow and the top and bottom of the edit box. The edit box, before attempting to send and getting the "spelling errors" pop-up, looks like the "After" screen shot.

[dedec]

REALLY Don't want to have emails start AFTER the sender's message. REALLY REALLY don't want to have to move the cursor up to the top for every reply
Other than that-so far so very good!