Suggestions for easily managing multiple email users?
Suggestions for easily managing multiple email users?
am 24.12.2005 18:08:29 von town
We have one PC in our house that my wife and three kids use. We
recently set up a domain and each person in the house has their own
email address now at this domain (previously, my wife had an account
through our ISP, and each kid had a web account at a separate web-based
free email domain).
However, now I'm flummoxed on how to manage four email accounts on one
computer.
I think the "right" answer would be to make each person log into Windows
(we're using Windows 2000) as a separate user, and have whatever email
software configured solely for that person accessible to that person
when logged in. However, for practical purposes, this wouldn't work.
People are coming and going from that one PC way too often to make
signing off/on/off/on workable. And I could easily see the kids sharing
their login passwords with each other one moment, then having a major
fight brewing when one abused the other's confidences.
I've tried Eudora, Outlook, Pegasus, and Thunderbird, and they all have
their good and bad features, but none seem to work that great as a
multiuser product. I just don't want a scenario where one user could
easily, whether by accident or by design, downloaded another's email.
I *could* I guess force each person to use one and only one email
program, each configured to handle that person's mail and no one elses.
But I'd still love it if someone could suggest a versatile and easy to
use email program that would make it difficult for "user A" to get "user
B's" messages. Any ideas?
Re: Suggestions for easily managing multiple email users?
am 24.12.2005 19:06:32 von Mike Easter
town wrote:
> We have one PC in our house that my wife and three kids use.
That is a totally insecure system. You didn't say how old the kids
were, but the smart kid who is security oriented is going to know
everything about everyone else that s/he wants to. And you won't know
what s/he knows and what s/he doesn't know.
--
Mike Easter
Re: Suggestions for easily managing multiple email users?
am 24.12.2005 19:09:16 von AK
town wrote:
> We have one PC in our house that my wife and three kids use. We
> recently set up a domain and each person in the house has their own
> email address now at this domain (previously, my wife had an account
> through our ISP, and each kid had a web account at a separate web-based
> free email domain).
>
> However, now I'm flummoxed on how to manage four email accounts on one
> computer.
>
> I think the "right" answer would be to make each person log into Windows
> (we're using Windows 2000) as a separate user, and have whatever email
> software configured solely for that person accessible to that person
> when logged in. However, for practical purposes, this wouldn't work.
> People are coming and going from that one PC way too often to make
> signing off/on/off/on workable. And I could easily see the kids sharing
> their login passwords with each other one moment, then having a major
> fight brewing when one abused the other's confidences.
>
> I've tried Eudora, Outlook, Pegasus, and Thunderbird, and they all have
> their good and bad features, but none seem to work that great as a
> multiuser product. I just don't want a scenario where one user could
> easily, whether by accident or by design, downloaded another's email.
>
> I *could* I guess force each person to use one and only one email
> program, each configured to handle that person's mail and no one elses.
>
> But I'd still love it if someone could suggest a versatile and easy to
> use email program that would make it difficult for "user A" to get "user
> B's" messages. Any ideas?
Are you using profiles within the programs you referenced (Thunderbird,
mozilla, Outlook? With Eudora it is possible but each individual would
have to be setup with a shortcut that would direct eudora to look for
the settings in a different folder.
The best and only approach is what you have stated in the opening
paragraph as an answer to your own question. Force the users to log off
when they are done.
The alternative is to upgrade to windows XP which supports switching
between users without the need to close the running applications. The
drawback from that is that you might run into a scenario where all the
users have logged in and left they're applications running. Your system
will be working hard and will be used a much of the system's resources.
With XP the screen saver options could be set such that following the
screen saver, a user would need to relogin to access their session.
for eudora: you would need to create shortcuts for user1, user2, user3
user1: eudora.exe d:\user1\eudora.ini as the command the target entry.
and d:\user1 as the working directory.
repeat the same for as many users as you need.
There is nothing that would prevent a user for clicking on the shortcut
of another, but it would separate the messages of each.
I believe in Outlook as well as Thunderbird you can have a profile for
the email program. It might be as simple as forcing each user to prvide
a password to gain access to their profile.
AK
Re: Suggestions for easily managing multiple email users?
am 24.12.2005 20:17:52 von Ralph Wade Phillips
Howdy!
"town" wrote in message
news:town-3ADEA5.12074624122005@syrcnyrdrs-01-ge0.nyroc.rr.c om...
> We have one PC in our house that my wife and three kids use. We
> recently set up a domain and each person in the house has their own
> email address now at this domain (previously, my wife had an account
> through our ISP, and each kid had a web account at a separate web-based
> free email domain).
>
> However, now I'm flummoxed on how to manage four email accounts on one
> computer.
>
> I think the "right" answer would be to make each person log into Windows
> (we're using Windows 2000) as a separate user, and have whatever email
> software configured solely for that person accessible to that person
> when logged in. However, for practical purposes, this wouldn't work.
> People are coming and going from that one PC way too often to make
> signing off/on/off/on workable. And I could easily see the kids sharing
> their login passwords with each other one moment, then having a major
> fight brewing when one abused the other's confidences.
>
> I've tried Eudora, Outlook, Pegasus, and Thunderbird, and they all have
> their good and bad features, but none seem to work that great as a
> multiuser product. I just don't want a scenario where one user could
> easily, whether by accident or by design, downloaded another's email.
>
> I *could* I guess force each person to use one and only one email
> program, each configured to handle that person's mail and no one elses.
>
> But I'd still love it if someone could suggest a versatile and easy to
> use email program that would make it difficult for "user A" to get "user
> B's" messages. Any ideas?
Well, you discount the primary one ... separate IDs for the
workstation for each user.
Toolman Tim has a suggestion also, which *ahem* usually does what
you say you don't want to do on 2K.
How about Webmail? that is, use the hosting service's web-based
email client?
Or give each one their own computer B) (Yes, I know ... but it
solved the arguments between MY two daughters!)
RwP
Re: Suggestions for easily managing multiple email users?
am 25.12.2005 11:14:56 von Markus Zingg
On Sat, 24 Dec 2005 17:08:29 GMT, town wrote:
>We have one PC in our house that my wife and three kids use. We
>recently set up a domain and each person in the house has their own
[SNIP]
OutlookExpress supports what they call "identities". You simply go to
the file menue and choose another identity. Each of them can have
their own mailboxes configured.
Simple - insecure as others mentioned - but probably what you are
looking for.
HTH
Markus
Re: Suggestions for easily managing multiple email users?
am 27.12.2005 18:30:43 von Alan Clifford
On Sat, 24 Dec 2005, town wrote:
t> We have one PC in our house that my wife and three kids use. We
t> recently set up a domain and each person in the house has their own
t> email address now at this domain (previously, my wife had an account
t> through our ISP, and each kid had a web account at a separate web-based
t> free email domain).
t>
t> However, now I'm flummoxed on how to manage four email accounts on one
t> computer.
t>
How about a gmail account each. Gmail now allows you to send as though
from you own domain address and you could have inoming to your domain
addresses forwarded to the gmail accounts.
And you have versatility - you can pop your account if you want or just
read your mail at gmail with your webbrowser.
--
Alan
( If replying by mail, please note that all "sardines" are canned.
There is also a password autoresponder but, unless this a very
old message, a "tuna" will swim right through. )