Hi, before anybody says anything I know I'm behind the times...

Just noticed the link on the Google/Firefox start page for an e-mail program called Thunderbird.

I was wondering what people think of this e-mail program.
Is it any good?
Is it easy to use?
Is it secure?
Is it buggy?

I currently use Microsoft Office Outlook 2003, I'm not a big fan of the program but it handles all my contacts, e-mails and appointments without too much fuss.
The screen shot of Thunderbird looks a lot like Outlook so I'm guessing it is going to be similar but I thought I'd ask you guys before installing it.

(If I do switch the only Microsoft program I'll be using besides games is the operating system )

Yes, it's pretty good. Give it a try - it's free!

May be a little buggy, but then again I've never actually tried it out myself. A few tales of "death spirals" have put me off the idea.

Then again, it's free, and Outlook it not without faults. Might have to try it myself...

Been using it for years, across multiple platforms (WinXP, OS X, Fedora), haven't had a problem yet.

I tried it for OSX but went back to Apple Mail - no disrespect to Thunderbird though.

It's pretty good. There are only a few differences interface-wise between it and Outlook Express, which is what I used before; all of them are improvements as far as I can see. It's also nice because I duel boot between XP and Linux, but I use the same profile folder (mailbox, preferences, etc) for Thunderbird under both.

Re-reading your post, a word of warning: Thunderbird doesn't come with a calender. I think their might be a calender extension for it, but I don't know. I've also used Mozilla Sunbird, which is a standalone calender program, but I haven't used it or other calender programs enough to form much of an opinion.

Suppose I'll give it a try, my appointments will eventually be handled by firefox and apache anyway (once I finish learning php)

Thunderbird is a great replacement for Outlook Express. Outlook, not so much, especially if you use it for planning and other stuff.

Looks ok, had to add my accounts manually but it did transfer my e-mails and addresses automatically. Also had to set up the dictionary myself, grrr.
Suppose it will just be a matter of getting used to it now, I can see myself using it instead of Outlook unless I do start encountering problems.

Thanks for the input guys.

Sunbird is the calender. There is a Thunderbird extension called Lightning that is a calander.

Haven't used Thunderbird in a while, however.

I always used Kaufman's Mail Warrior.