What E-mail Program is Right for me?
A variety of e-mail programs can be used to access SF State e-mail.
E-mail program comparisons
Web-based e-mail programs allow e-mail access from any Web-enabled computer. Because software installation is not required, and messages are not stored on the user's computer, Web-based e-mail programs can be convenient for people who do not want to be limited to using a specific computer for e-mail access. These programs do, however, require an active Internet connection. Conversely, installed e-mail programs require initial setup, but provide the added convenience of off-line access
| Feature | email.sfsu.edu (Staff / Faculty) | live.sfsu.edu (Students) |
|---|---|---|
| Access e-mail off-line (when not connected to the Internet) | No | No |
| Filter e-mail automatically to designated folders | Yes | Yes |
| Bounce/redirect e-mail without changing original sender | Yes | No |
| Store e-mail in folders on your computer | No | No |
| Electronic calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Access calendar from multiple locations/computers | Yes | Yes |
| Shared and group calendars | Access Only | Yes / Limited |
| Manage rooms, resources and other users' calendars | Yes | No |
| Sync calendar with a handheld/PDA - cable/cradle/bluetooth | No | No |
| Sync calendar with a handheld/PDA - wireless/cellular | Yes | Yes |
| Access calendar off-line (when not connected to the Internet) | No | No |
| Feature | Entourage 2008 | Mac Mail | Thunderbird |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access e-mail off-line (when not connected to the Internet) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Filter e-mail automatically to designated folders | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bounce/redirect e-mail without changing original sender | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Store e-mail in folders on your computer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Electronic calendar | Yes | OS 10.6 and Higher Only | No |
| Access calendar from multiple locations/computers | Yes | Yes | No |
| Shared and group calendars | Yes | Yes | No |
| Manage rooms, resources and other users' calendars | Yes | Yes | No |
| Sync calendar with a handheld/PDA - cable/cradle/bluetooth | Yes | Yes | No |
| Sync calendar with a handheld/PDA - wireless/cellular | Yes | Yes | No |
| Access calendar off-line (when not connected to the Internet) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Feature | Outlook 2007 | Thunderbird |
|---|---|---|
| Access e-mail off-line (when not connected to the Internet) | Yes | Yes |
| Filter e-mail automatically to designated folders | Yes | Yes |
| Bounce/redirect e-mail without changing original sender | Yes | Yes |
| Store e-mail in folders on your computer | Yes | Yes |
| Electronic calendar | Yes | No |
| Access calendar from multiple locations/computers | Yes | No |
| Shared and group calendars | Yes | No |
| Manage rooms, resources and other users' calendars | Yes | No |
| Sync calendar with a handheld/PDA - cable/cradle/bluetooth | Yes | No |
| Sync calendar with a handheld/PDA - wireless/cellular | Yes | No |
| Access calendar off-line (when not connected to the Internet) | Yes | No |
Program descriptions
email.sfsu.edu
email.sfsu.edu provides Web access to e-mail, calendar, and contacts through Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer. email.sfsu.edu is available to SF State staff and faculty who have e-mail accounts on the university Exchange server.
live.sfsu.edu
live.sfsu.edu provides Web access to e-mail, calendar, and contacts through Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer. live.sfsu.edu is available to SF State students, student organizations and departments with e-mail accounts hosted by Microsoft.
Entourage
Entourage is Microsoft's adaptation of Outlook for Mac OS X. It is available as part of Microsoft Office for Mac. Instructions for setting up Entourage can be found in the 'Check @mail e-mail' section on the @mail page (students) and the Checking E-mail on Exchange page (staff/faculty).
Mac Mail
Mac Mail is an e-mail program included with the OS X system for Apple's Macintosh. Instructions for setting up Mac Mail can be found in the 'Check @mail e-mail' section on the @mail page (students) and the Checking E-mail on Exchange page (staff/faculty).
Outlook
Microsoft Outlook is the e-mail and calendar program included with the Microsoft Office suite. Instructions for setting up Outlook can be found in the 'Check @mail e-mail' section on the @mail page (students) and the Checking E-mail on Exchange page (staff/faculty)
Thunderbird
Thunderbird is an open-source graphical e-mail program and newsreader developed by the Mozilla Foundation. It is freely available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux from www.mozilla.com. Instructions for setting up Thunderbird can be found in the 'Check @mail e-mail' section on the @mail page (students) and the Checking E-mail on Exchange page (staff/faculty).
