6mo ago

Microsoft says it won't let you use Mail & Calendar app on Windows 11

www.windowslatest.com Microsoft says it won't let you use Mail & Calendar app on Windows 11

I recently reported on how Microsoft has been celebrating the forced roll-out of the new Outlook as a “migration success”. Now the company has confirmed it won’t let you use the Mail & Calendar apps. The first phase of this change is already rolling out on Windows 11, with second and final phase exp...

63 comments

I guess way back when microsoft said than win10 would be the last version of windows, what the meant was it would be the last anyone wants to use.

Microsoft won't stop me from continuing to not use Windows
- They certainly tried with Secure Boot. Thank Stallman that UEFI is a somewhat-open architecture.
  
  I think it’s more like what Mozilla is to google; Linux to Microsoft is a tool to prevent antitrust issues

What do you want me to do, Microsoft? Install Linux twice?
- You can do that
  I recommend it, even if you don't need it, bc it fun
  
  Oh yes! I have done it. A bunch of Linux VMs using Ovirt running on top of CentOS just to test some kernel changes.

I moved to Mozilla Thunderbird long ago https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/
- People still use dedicated email clients? Why?
  
  It works better for searching, it works offline, catch-all addresses just work with correct from address when replying, backup and archiving, can move mails from box to box without sending.
  I also use roundcube, but only to read mails. If I want to reply to a catch-all mail I have to create an alias which is super tedious.
  
  I have email addresses under Outlook (old personal account), Gmail (study provided email), Exchange (work) and Proton (main personal account). I also actively use the calendar feature in my client, which is sync'd up to my Nextcloud instance.
  Just having it all under Thunderbird is so convenient and it feels more private. It's also an entirely consistent UI between accounts
  
  Same reason anyone would use a dedicated provider-independent client instead of a proprietary web application locked into a single provider: less vendor lock-in, more local control, and so on.

The good part: two garbage apps will be gone from windows 😂
- Replaced with one god awful one. I actually liked the calendar application, does all I need it to do. But no, I can't have just a calendar application anymore according to Microsoft
  
  Mozilla used to have Sunbird, until they also rolled it into Thunderbird. Standalone calendars aren't popular anymore, but in sure there's some around.
  I understand the mail integration, as appointments can be processed directly.

I'd never use a Microsoft mail client anyway. I use Thunderbird.
- Thunderbird has a pretty ass UI though and it's still pretty janky at times. I only switched to it over the mail app after email sent to our support department had some random persons name associated with the "contact"
  Windows 10s mail app wasn't bad, but now that it's this new outlook thing I'd never go back.
  
  It took me a sec to get the hang of it, but I'm good with Thunderbird
- I do too, but it's a dog. So damn slow.
  Outlook is fast, and that's important.
  I really hope they get the performance issues resolved in Thunderbird.

Thunderbird is acquiring Exchange features.
They haven’t turned them on just yet owing to a little last-minute work, but your ability to sync calendars and address books with an ActiveSync/Exchange-compatible eMail server is coming soon.

Why would I want to use any app that MS makes
- Because some are good. VSCode for instance.
  
  Vscode is not that good IMO.
  
  Atom was better. Pour one out for my homie

Easy solution -- don't use Windows.
- Tell that to my employer.
  
  I would happily do so! :)
- Lol, right, right.
  Out of the gate: which distro? Which shell? Now get all a business apps working there, some which were custom developed in the 90's.
  Or CAD. OneNote with SharePoint (which is extensively used). Etc, etc.
  Look, there's a lot wrong with Windows, but switching to Linux for nearly any business isn't realistic, especially large orgs. And if you only have a few users, working around the negatives is trivial with a few reg scripts, or logon scripts, or Group Policies assigned by the DC.
  
  but switching to Linux for nearly any business isn’t realistic
  Not with that attitude.

If anyone's in this thread because they're looking for a new mail client after Microsoft killed the old Mail app, and haven't been happy with the typical suggestions of using each email service's web interface or Thunderbird, I found I don't hate Mailspring (with the fancy features disabled - I just want my email client to do email well and don't want extras that provide clutter).

New Outlook is a pile of shit compared to the desktop Outlook app. It's been causing a lot of headaches for my coworkers. Microsoft had better port near every single feature over to the newapp before they force everyone on it.

Does it matter if everyone stays on windows 10?
- you cannot stay on win10 forever though. deadline is approaching
  
  The majority of regular folks will only ever upgrade when they get a new computer. Most Me Maw's and Pa Paw's would sooner let their computers catch fire from being loaded with cat than get a new one. Hell. They are all still using ball mice.
  As for me, as long as I have an iso I'll happily run it in a vm. Indefinitely.

Does that mean the only official email app will be the one that uploads the passwords to all your email accounts to Microsoft?

Threatening us with good times? I think I'll stick to Mutt.

The new outlook is utter garbage. It was in fact so bad that I uninstalled it and now use it through the web front-end only. And I'm doing that in Edge - as the only website this browser is allowed to open (asides from Teams, where the software is just as terrible).
If they call it a success that no more people are complaining because they just gave up, then, congrats... I guess?
- Oh. This sounds like a good idea lol is the search a lot faster?
  
  Not amazingly fast, but still quite a bit better indeed. Give it a try, to don't need to uninstall outlook to do that after all.

Good riddance.
I absolutely dislike Outlook desktop, don't trust it either. Used Thunderbird back in the day, but switched to emailing on tablets or phone + TrueNas for desktop files.
FairEmail Pro on tablet is all I need for email. It is open source and imo simplest to use. It's free and the pro version set me back 7€ or so.