Web Mail Providers w/ Clean, Simple, Fast Interface?

[Snowbound]

Hi,

I would appreciate suggestions for email providers that offer a clean, simple, fast-loading web interface for reading and composing messages. (Must be manageable on a dial-up connection (POTS, <56 Kbs)).

I have found Gmail (with the basic view option selected) as well as Fastmail quite manageable in this regard but have some other problems with each and would like to know what other options I might have.

The major problems I have with Fastmail are the lack of a spam folder for lower-level accounts (no way to retrieve messages wrongly filtered as spam) and having my IP address appear on outgoing mail.

I also had one case where the message I sent to someone from my Fastmail account ( ml1.net domain) landed in their spam folder. I wonder whether this was also what happened in a number of other cases where I never received a reply to messages I had sent, but I have no evidence of such and it is entirely possible that other factors were to blame.

With Google, I have privacy concerns and differences with some of their policies and philosophy.

I have also tried Lavabit but the web interface is quite primitive, has no spam folder (like Fastmail) and can be rather slow and awkward to navigate. I also find myself needing to repeatedly re-log myself in when I shouldn't.

So, in summary, are there any options for a web mail service that meet the following criteria:

- web-interface that is manageable on a dial-up connection
- ability to retrieve messages wrongly filtered as spam- even on free or at least lowest-priced accounts
- outgoing messages not stamped with personal IP
- clear, transparent privacy policy that is not especially controversial

Finally, it would be a plus if JavaScript were not required for at least basic functionality. (I have found this to be the case for all three services I mentioned above: Gmail, Fastmail and Lavabit- none of them require JavaScript for basic functionality.)

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and for any information you may be able to provide.

Best wishes in the holiday season,

'Snowbound'

[Sherry]

Originally Posted by Snowbound

The major problems I have with Fastmail are the lack of a spam folder for lower-level accounts (no way to retrieve messages wrongly filtered as spam) and having my IP address appear on outgoing mail.

Hi Snowbound,

Actually, the only level that doesn't have the good spam protection is the Free Guest account. The Ad-Free account for $4.95 a year and Full and Enhanced accounts all have the "Advanced" Spam Protection that makes a "Junk Mail" folder for spam. You also get a "trainable bayes database" to improve spam filtering. Once you've reported 200 Spam and 200 non-Spam then you get "your personal bayes databases" so it will know what you personally think is spam and non-spam.

If you send email from the FM web site then your IP address will not appear in outgoing email.

Welcome to EMD

Sherry

[jeffpan]

(1) squirrelmail, which is simple and lite enough, JS is not required. I have a domain with email hosting on namecheap, so I can choose to use their squirrelmail webmail interface.

(2) sqwebmail, provided by courier-mta.org, is very lite and fast. also this webmail is written with C language, so it's pretty faster than squirrelmail which is written by PHP. sqwebmail reads Maildir directly, not fetching mail via IMAP like squirrelmail etc, so it has great performance advantage than others. Under unbuntu, you just run:

apt-get install courier-authdaemon
apt-get install sqwebmail
apt-get install postfix

And you will get an email system with sqwebmail interface.
I even wrote a blog about it (sorry it's with chinese):
http://blogs.perl.org/users/pyhs_blo...2/10linux.html

My sqwebmail's login url is:
http://mail.nsbeta.info:2880/webmail/webmail

If you anybody need a test accout to see the demo, could just PM me.

[sflorack]

Originally Posted by Snowbound

The major problems I have with Fastmail are the lack of a spam folder ... and having my IP address appear on outgoing mail.

I'm sure there are many justifiable reasons for this.. just can't think of any at the moment.

[malcontent]

Take a look at Bluebottle.

http://www.bluebottle.com/

[cahero]

VFEmail dot Net as my new personal favorite.

Very very reasonable paid plans, and a pretty nice free option too.

[malcontent]

Originally Posted by cahero

VFEmail dot Net as my new personal favorite.

Very very reasonable paid plans, and a pretty nice free option too.

The reason I didn't suggest VFEmail is because the owner runs the service out of his house using a T-1 line. The computers/servers are located in his house.

I personally would only feel comfortable using a service if it was located in a secure data center somewhere. With enterprise level backup power and redundancy in internet connection.

The owner is nice and attentive to his customers and charges reasonable prices but he is a one man operation being ran out of his home.

[malcontent]

Slashmail might be another one to check out.

https://slashmail.org/

[cahero]

Originally Posted by malcontent

The reason I didn't suggest VFEmail is because the owner runs the service out of his house using a T-1 line. The computers/servers are located in his house.

I personally would only feel comfortable using a service if it was located in a secure data center somewhere. With enterprise level backup power and redundancy in internet connection.

The owner is nice and attentive to his customers and charges reasonable prices but he is a one man operation being ran out of his home.

BUT....I've had an email address with him for at least 10 years (I think). I've not lost a message yet and the service is fine for me. I've had so many other services simply disappear on me that I have to give kudos to VFEmail and Havokmon (the owner) who is sometimes posting on this forum.
He's never deleted my free account for inactivity (yet), and even after extreme periods of not logging in there is no spam....and I have a very common short username.
It's impressed me enough that after the first of the year I'm going to pay for a subscription.

[Berenburger]

Originally Posted by Snowbound

So, in summary, are there any options for a web mail service that meet the following criteria:

Recently there was a thread here about openmail.cc. Personally, I like it.

- web-interface that is manageable on a dial-up connection

It's fast. Even on my smartphone.

- ability to retrieve messages wrongly filtered as spam- even on free or at least lowest-priced accounts

Use a quarantine method. All incoming mail is compared with the address book and accepted domains.

- outgoing messages not stamped with personal IP

Yes

- clear, transparent privacy policy that is not especially controversial

Hmm. Read it yourself.

[malcontent]

Originally Posted by cahero

BUT....I've had an email address with him for at least 10 years (I think). I've not lost a message yet and the service is fine for me. I've had so many other services simply disappear on me that I have to give kudos to VFEmail and Havokmon (the owner) who is sometimes posting on this forum.
He's never deleted my free account for inactivity (yet), and even after extreme periods of not logging in there is no spam....and I have a very common short username.
It's impressed me enough that after the first of the year I'm going to pay for a subscription.

I just explained why I wouldn't use the service. Reading VFEmail forums there are reports of service interruptions by users. They are corrected but they seem to happen more frequently then some other email providers.

Sorry, I just don't trust my email to a service ran out of someones home. A far less secure location and without redundant internet connection.

For a free email account it may be sufficient but for an important primary email account I wouldn't even consider it.

[cahero]

Originally Posted by malcontent

I just explained why I wouldn't use the service. Reading VFEmail forums there are reports of service interruptions by users. They are corrected but they seem to happen more frequently then some other email providers.

Sorry, I just don't trust my email to a service ran out of someones home. A far less secure location and without redundant internet connection.

For a free email account it may be sufficient but for an important primary email account I wouldn't even consider it.

Are you the OP? I know you "just explained why I wouldn't use the service". I don't remember you asking what service to use. I'm just simply stating what service I'm using and I'm not the only one using it BTW. Heck, I had service outages at Earthlink. Going by your one statement you seem to be saying outages are more frequent then some and less frequent than others.

Bottomline is that it's nice clean uncluttered service (The OP was asking for opinions on that) and has outlasted many many others, but it's not right for you...no problem there.

[squabsy]

try zworg.com

[communicant]

Zworg is a very good small service that meets most of the OP's criteria, except for the concern about display of IP. It is simple and fast and has a good record for reliability going back to 1998. On the downside, it still displays taglines on the free accounts, and unfortunately it does reveal the IP. Also, like VFEmail, it is a one-man operation (though Tom Fishwick has recently been looking for partners to expand the service), but unlike VFEmail, I doubt the servers are in the owner's house. They are somewhere in Toronto I think, but I don't know whether they are in a secure location or not. I believe there is back-up and redundancy of some sort.

VFEmail comes close to meeting all of the OP's criteria. The IP is displayed in outgoing mail sent from free accounts, but is masked in mail sent from any of the paid accounts. The Horde interface is slow to load on a slow connection and Roundcube is even worse. Still, even for very slow connections, I would recommend either Zworg or VFEmail on the basis of reliability and longevity. Both have been around for a long time and they are not frivolous services. (No affiliation with either one.)

[mf1941]

ZWORG is clean & uncluttered however I could never get mail thru to AOL addresses, mail always bounced with a 554 message claiming ZWORG's IP address was blocked.

Support never responded to my inquiries about it.

Anyone else haver this issue?