I hate Hotmail. I despise it. Normally, with something so insignificant (at least in relation to my everyday life) I’d just avoid it. But I have to use Hotmail. Hotmail, and webmail in general, is how email should not work. Ideally, I’d rather use my POP3 mailbox all the time, as that is, to me, how email *should* work. I don’t have to wait every time I want to open a new message or return to my inbox; I just press the button marked “HELL YEAH!” and all the kind words and pictures from my many friends all over the world come flooding direct into my computer. Yes, you’re experiencing hyperbole. It’ll pass.
The trouble is, I feel quite protective towards my POP3 account. There’s enough drivel pouring into it from imbeciles around the world (well, okay… Boca Raton, Florida) as it is, although Apple’s Mail deals with that pretty well. I’m just not prepared to open up that mailbox to the risk of more spam by giving out my “proper” email address online. For that purpose, I use Hotmail. And because, once in a while, I get legitimate responses, I have to check my Hotmail account.
Spam is clearly the main obstacle to smooth and efficient email use, but I can’t see that MSN/Hotmail are doing anything about it. There’s junk filtering in Hotmail, but it’s ineffectual, and the spam blocking system is only rudimentary. A cursory glance through my junk folder on any given day reveals six or seven fake “return to sender” messages from various (bogus) addresses, all 144k in size… doubtless a virus of some sort, and all instantly deleted by me, but why are they even getting to my mailboxes? These emails follow a totally obvious pattern. Hell, could it be a conspiracy by MSN? Fill your mailbox with junk so you’ll buy their extra storage space?
I know Hotmail isn’t the only web-based option. Believe me, I’ve tried several, but I have to grudgingly admit that Hotmail works, insofar as these things can be said to “work”. The alternatives are either broken or involve paying for anything more than the most fundamental features. So Hotmail it is. But with great reluctance.
I know how you feel i really am ready to never use hotmail again. my original email acount they said that they blocked it because to much junkmail going out so i made a new one the same day and guess what it happened again, Really it suxs to say the least, exspecially if your waiting for a job reply.
Wow, a new comment on an eight-year-old post! Weird to see how much has changed since 2003… I now think of that POP3 account as something of a burden. kat – you really need a Gmail account!
I hate Hotmail. I do remember my password, I don’t access my email from public computers, and suddenly I can’t login. The “rest password” is nothing but piece of shit.