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View Full Version : Is Thunderbird equally as save as Gmail?



Lewis Ehrhardt
03-28-2012, 10:36 PM
I'm about to switch email accounts. I would like to have access from any computer and want it to be reasonably safe. My search seems to indicate Thunderbird and Gmail are the ones most used by Creekers. Is this still true. All input appreciated. Thanks Lewis

Gerry Kaslowski
03-28-2012, 11:08 PM
You can access all your email accounts with Thunderbird, including Gmail. I use it for Roadrunner and Gmail. My Roadrunner address is used for general stuff, not too important. My Gmail account is accessed from my Android phone, my desktop with Thunderbird, or with the web site.

Greg Peterson
03-28-2012, 11:14 PM
Gmail is an email service accessible from any computer with an Internet connection. Gmail doesn't require any software installation or configuration - it is a web based email service. You read, write and store your email via a web browser. Gmail is what is now being called The Cloud.

Thunderbird is what is known as an email client, or more simply, a program for reading, writing, storing and generally managing your email needs. Thunderbird is installed on whatever computer you wish to use to manage your email.

You can have a Gmail account and still use Thunderbird to download your gmail email.

Curt Harms
03-29-2012, 7:53 AM
I'll mention a little-known email provider that gets good grades from some techie types:lavabit.com. It's just an email and web hosting outfit. No news, no games, no flashy trash. I have no idea how they pay the bills, I guess with hosting. It's sorta the anti-google with very good privacy safeguards from what I read. But, it works best with a client like Thunderbird. The email web interface is rather .......... spartan :p. I use mine as a sort of 'throw-away' email address and still get virtually NO spam.

John Coloccia
03-29-2012, 8:14 AM
Everything you do on GMail is data-mined by Google. Every word, every contact. Likely every keystroke, actually, so I would imagine they even have access to your drafts and thinking "out loud" before you even send anything. I would think twice before using GMail, or any other Google service for that matter.

Dennis Peacock
03-29-2012, 8:19 AM
John,
This practice is done by MANY online services...eBay, Yahoo, Google, and the list goes on and on. It has been done for YEARS.

John Coloccia
03-29-2012, 8:43 AM
John,
This practice is done by MANY online services...eBay, Yahoo, Google, and the list goes on and on. It has been done for YEARS.

I wouldn't use them for my e-mail either. He asked about Google. Of course, the difference with Google is that they're collecting information across a BROAD spectrum of services. Mail, YouTube, search engine, ads, etc, and all of that information is available for examination via court order (and not even that, sometimes). I think we both know just exactly how this could be abused.

Personally, I use emails at my own domains. You can get a website hosted very cheaply these days.

Ron Natalie
03-29-2012, 10:53 AM
This is one of the reasons I pay for email service. I use a company called TUFFMAIL. They have a real nice service and a superior spam filter.
I actually MX my domain (ronnatalie.com) there so my email address will be the same forever (even if I switch to another provider).

They provide IMAP (which you can pretty much talk to any mail client: thunderbird, outlook express, the Mac Mail app, your iPhone or whatever your phone uses for mail) as well as a half a dozen webmail clients you can use your favorite.

Myk Rian
03-29-2012, 4:27 PM
If your e-mail account is through your I-net provider, (Comcast for example) you can still access it with a browser, from anywhere. Just log-on to your providers website.

Thunderbird is nothing more than another program you install on your computer, and in most cases you don't need it. Just like MS Outlook.

Brian Elfert
03-29-2012, 8:58 PM
I wouldn't use them for my e-mail either. He asked about Google. Of course, the difference with Google is that they're collecting information across a BROAD spectrum of services. Mail, YouTube, search engine, ads, etc, and all of that information is available for examination via court order (and not even that, sometimes). I think we both know just exactly how this could be abused.


If you don't sign into your Google account it is more difficult for Google to aggregate your data. The only Google services I directly use are search and YouTube and I never sign in. I would probably use Gmail except that my preferred username is already in use.

I would like to get my own domain name for email, but I can't come up with a good domain name that isn't already taken.

Keith Westfall
03-30-2012, 2:23 AM
I've used a service at www.Hover.com (http://www.Hover.com) and have for years. It's just a forwarding service, and can be forwarded to any email account. The advantage is that my main email address hasn't changed in about 15 years - but have changed providers quite a few times.

It allows a personal email like - firstname 'at' lastname . ???.

Not quite what was asked, but it has worked well for me.

John Coloccia
03-31-2012, 7:17 AM
If you don't sign into your Google account it is more difficult for Google to aggregate your data. The only Google services I directly use are search and YouTube and I never sign in. I would probably use Gmail except that my preferred username is already in use.

I would like to get my own domain name for email, but I can't come up with a good domain name that isn't already taken.


It's much closer to this:

http://donttrack.us/

Not trying to be alarmist, but this is the truth explained very clearly and simply, and people should realize what's really going on before using a service. Ever wonder why Rockler and Woodcraft ads show up everywhere? It's not a lucky guess, believe me.

Kevin Gregoire
04-01-2012, 10:43 AM
Gmail is an email service accessible from any computer with an Internet connection. Gmail doesn't require any software installation or configuration - it is a web based email service. You read, write and store your email via a web browser. Gmail is what is now being called The Cloud.

Thunderbird is what is known as an email client, or more simply, a program for reading, writing, storing and generally managing your email needs. Thunderbird is installed on whatever computer you wish to use to manage your email.

You can have a Gmail account and still use Thunderbird to download your gmail email.


greg summed it up perfectly. i have and use both actually, i want a gmail account for anonymity and i use thunderbird on my pc as a standard email client.
i also use Mozbackup to backup and save all my emails i have in about a hundred different file categories. i have been using both clients for a good 8 years
i think its been?