Just joking. The salient point is that Pmail, when set up to do so, will generate both a plain and fancy version of each message sent.

The obvious intent is that the recipient can then decide which version of those messages to display, provided that the program in use is capable of doing so.

Pmail has that capacity and will display either version, as selected, in emails that contain both formats. 

This is probably a silly question but I'm seeking information as to how Pegasus compares with the current generation of competitors.

I've been using Pegasus since 1998. I've only ever used other e.mail programs for as long as it's taken me to install Pegasus, or on other peoples machines. I've always kept my formatting simple and as plain as possible because I've not seen any reason to make life complicated.

However, my e.mails are also the face of my business and I'm noticing that everyone that I'm dealing with are using much fancier e.mails. Different fonts, fancy signatures, blue instead of black etc, etc. My messages are starting to look like poor relations. Reluctantly I've decided that my e.mail presentation needs a make over.

My question is whether Pegasus will support  such a make over? In recent years I've felt that Pegasus is getting a bit dated but I'm not sure whether that's simply me being slack and not getting on top of the preferences or whether the competition is getting more sophisticated?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. My experience of other products is quite minimal, except that I've consistently noted that the problems others have with their e.mail seldom affect me. Hence my lack of interest in changing.

Have a look at formatted text in the help files for starters.

Hmmm, I see this forum is really pumping! A week later; one reply.

I knew it was a bit of a silly question, but I was really hoping for a few subjective answers, a few opinions. I've been using Pegasus for fifteen years, I've never really experienced another program. I've looked in the "Help" files but what I really wanted was some informed opinion as to how Pegasus stacks up against the more modern programs. I'm guessing from the lack of response to my query that there's only a few die-hards left using it so I suppose that answers my question.

No one is going to get too excited about fancy email. Any decent program will do what you want.

You need to read the documentation and experiment, instead of asking to be led by the hand.

Pegasus Mail is capable of 'pretty' email but I would have preferred to have never seen HTML formatting introduced into email so will not promote it.  

I wasn't asking to be led by the hand. Quite happy to work these things out, although also happy to receive advice! I'm seeking opinions on how Pegasus stacks up. I note it sometimes has problems with receiving "fancy" e.mail and am trying to work out whether it's because it's getting dated or if it's just how I'm using it. Do I read your opinion as being that Pegasus will hold it's own with most modern programs?

[quote user="Rupert"]Do I read your opinion as being that Pegasus will hold it's own with most modern programs?[/quote]

It all depends an what you want from an email client.  For me, it is a product that handles multi-user business email correspondence for a small business.  IMHO, Pegasus Mail is second to none for that.  It is showing its age so I am anxious for the next version but it is still my recommendation to anyone looking for a robust and flexible email client who is willing and knowledgeable enough to work through its quirks.  For those who aren't, I steer them towards Thunderbird or sticking with a web interface.  My experience is limited exposure to Thunderbird and Outlook and the web interfaces of Gmail, Outlook.com and Time Warner Cable RoadRunner. 

The only way you will answer your question is to test different programs to find the one that best fits your needs and the way you work.

[quote user="Rupert"]

... My question is whether Pegasus will support  such a make over? In recent years I've felt that Pegasus is getting a bit dated but I'm not sure whether that's simply me being slack and not getting on top of the preferences or whether the competition is getting more sophisticated?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. My experience of other products is quite minimal, except that I've consistently noted that the problems others have with their e.mail seldom affect me. Hence my lack of interest in changing.

[/quote]

 Yes - you simply need to read the help file and use the rich text formatting controls. Tools > Options > Outgoing Mail > Messages and replies - check Use MIME features and check Rich (formatted) text. Under Message Formatting make sure that Disable all text styling options is unchecked. Under Sending mail, check the option the Generate multipart/alternative..

The formatting toolbar allows you place images, hyperlinks, format text colour/size/font etc.

The problem is not in creating fancy messages, the problem is ensuring your messages can be displayed as you created them by the popular mail clients. Some clients struggle.

Your best bet is to experiment. If you know which mail clients your business clients use (which you can get from the X-mailer field of the header) install those and send yourself some test messages.

How 'fancy' do you wish to go? If you thinking or marketing messages then you would be better off using a professional service, especially if you want an all singing, all dancing message. However, if you just wish to add a couple of images and spuce up the appearance of your written content, Pegasus Mail can handle that quite well. 

Many thanks for the recent responses. You've restored my faith!

I don't want an all singing, all dancing  message. Quite honestly, I'm happy with what I've currently got! However, the reality is that everyone else is getting fancier. I think that bfluet's desire for the next version is probably where I am at. It does sound as though a bit of effort invested in the appearance of my communications will sort my problem, without my having to move away from my much loved mail client. Thunderbird was my next option. I've heard positive reports although I've had limited experience of it.

I'm with both bfluet & caisson in this, but:

Some years back there was an extended discussion here about this, one in which David H. himself participated (as I recall it).  David didn't like it, either, acct. well-known security issues, inter alia.  But he also recognized that that was the way the world was going, like it or not, and that "fancy" / HTML messaging either was going to be supported, in a reasonably user-safe way, or Pegasus Mail was going to proceed to be marginalized into oblivion.  

In that respect, both Rupert's & bfluet's points about "recipient expectations" and "depends on what you want . . . work through quirks" are, in my opinion, well-taken.   

That said, I really don't see that the concept of ranking client email HTML editors gets much traction, because (i) it's a personal preference matter; (ii) for full-blown fancy, either webmail or word-processed document attachment probably will be the way forward; (iii) question whether POP3 can endure anyway, longer-term.  

Much effort has been contributed by various forum participants -- irelam, idw, David H., e.g. -- toward allowing PMail's HTML message handling to deal with some of the simply awful broken HTML code which is being spewed around -- some of it malevolent, some merely incompetent.  I've seen fancy messages with no text multipart which can't be parsed by anything but, let's face it, MS Outlook (or whatever it's called now.)  

- Christopher Muñoz

Why not just use plain text for your e-mail message and --- attach --- the fancy message as a pdf? This way all user will see your fancy / crafted message as you envisioned it?

I like the idea of the PDF attachment but the reality is, when you're flicking messages back and forth, discussing a project, who's going to look at an attachment?

[quote user="aderoy"]

Why not just use plain text for your e-mail message and --- attach --- the fancy message as a pdf? This way all user will see your fancy / crafted message as you envisioned it?

[/quote]

Aren't we defeating the purpose?  The primary objective is to quickly impart information without the necessity of bells and whistles.

If you want pretty you can exchange illuminated texts by post.