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Yesterday, Infinity Data Systems released the first public beta build of the Odysseus for the Mac - version 0.8.2 (there have been private betas for some time), and I wasted no time downloading a copy (8 MB and change).
It's really real, folks, and it looks like it has more than the makings of a worthy successor to the Eudora tradition that dates back to virtually the beginning of the public Internet.
Odysseus 0.8.2 is now available to the general public. One disclaimer that IDS strongly emphasizes that this is a VERY EARLY beta, and that under normal circumstances, they would prefer not to release this early of a build.
However, they explain that given the issues that many people are having with Eudora running under OS X 10.5 Leopard, they felt it was necessary to show everyone the direction Odysseus is taking, specifically how close it's holding to the Eudora user experience, but that they emphatically DO NOT recommend using this build for anything other than testing. because it is not ready at this stage of development to be used in a mission-critical environment.
Features Currently Operational in Version 0.8.2 are:
- Receiving Email
- Sending Email
- Downloading Attachments
- Multiple Accounts
- Built-in Address Book
- Transferring Email Across Mailboxes
- Replying, Forwarding, Redirecting
- Basic Email Filtering (set default mailbox for each account if desired)
- Basic Attachment Filtering (can define specific Attachment folder per email account)
- HTML Rendering (via the File Menu. A future build will allow this to be enabled as On or Off by default)
- Importing Eudora Email
Still Not Operational (In many cases, the features below are already implemented to some degree, but are simply not accessible via the interface)
- IMAP (This has actually been implemented for a couple of builds but intentionally disabled in this build
- Signatures (This is largely done but disabled)
- Stationery (This is largely done but disabled)
- OS X Address Book Integration (This is largely done but disabled)
- Sending Attachments (In progress)
- Spelling
- Gmail Support (In progress - this has been long-standing issue dating back to the Private Betas that they are addressing)
- Advanced Features (Most are already in various states of completion)
- Documentation
Now that Odysseus has moved to Public Beta, IDS will be releasing updates on a daily basis as they move closer to their revised June timeframe. Even if they are relatively minor, each build will fix bugs and/or integrate the missing functionality.
There are bugs, and a lot of work to still be done., so this version is not intended for everyday use.
That said, what's Odysseus like? Here are my first impressions.
Installing Odysseus was simplicity itself. I just decompressed the downloaded Zip file and there it was, ready to go.
The registration screen was standard and straightforward, and the program can be used in demo mode for 21 days.
Another screen lets you select your interface preference, either for the Classic Eudora-style mailbox-based interface, or for the now-customary three-box interface motif. I chose Classic, since the interface is one of the things I love most about Eudora.
The program now opens, displaying an account setup dialog, again pretty standard and intuitive.
You can also configure accounts in the Odysseus Preferences (analogous to Eudora Settings) and the preferences interface is very much like the Eudora Settings interface, although most of the categories other than accounts are not yet implemented.
There is also a mailboxes window
With the program's Classic interface specified, the open mailbox and toolbar should make Eudora veterans feel right at home, but IMHO the tool bar icons are more attractive-looking than any ever used with Eudora itself.
The Compose Mail window is likewise comfortably Eudora-esque.
So how does it work? Well, mixed reviews on that score. I found that Odysseus downloaded the several initial test messages I threw at it very quickly and efficiently. The Task Progress window contains a simple progress bar, and not the other information conveyed by Eudora's Task Progress window, but I hope that's something they will be working on. Provisionally, though two-thumbs-up for download performance.
Sending mail was less successful, in fact not successful at all through the one account I had configured for this looksee. That account actually sends mail better than most in Leopard from Eudora, which Is why I chose it for the test, so it seems to be a glitch that needs work. I hasten to add that sending email over my dialup connection is problematical in general, partly due to the SMTP block my ISP, Sympatico, has imposed on outgoing messages sent through Port 25 but not through their server, and partly due to some sort of incompatibility with Leopard, because I have vastly fewer email issues with the same accounts accessed when running OS X 10.4 Tiger or earlier versions of the Mac OS, and it's not just with Eudora either. I have similar issues in Leopard using OS X Mail and the Open Source (Thunderbird clone) "Eudora" 8. Unfortunately, under Leopard my ISP's SMTP server refuses to work for me, so it's rock and a hard place, with a partial workaround being Gmail, whose SSL configuration bypasses the SMTO block, or accounts with servers that send through other than Port 25 (such as the account I have configured in Odysseus). However since Gmail support is not yet implemented in Odysseus, I wasn't able to test that.
In summary, however, in the context of the program's early-days status it's an understatement to say I'm delighted with Odysseus so far, and looking forward to testing future builds and of course the final release.
Odysseus will be commercial software (as Qualcomm's Eudora was) and not open source, and will sell for $39.95, about the same price point as classic Eudora. The program is being developed with support for Mac OS X and Windows, with Linux compatibility being looked at for the future. Version upgrade prices, anticipated roughly annually, are projected to be$19.95, and if a full version number upgrade occurs in under a year's time, it will be free for users of the previous version.
The Odysseus 0.8.2 public beta (Mac only) can be downloaded here:
http://www.infinitydatasystems.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=346
Charles W. Moore
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Hi Charles, how on earth did you get that 8-meg download via your dialup link?
I grabbed the Odysseus beta as soon as the link appeared - and I concur. It’s the “prettiest” Eudora yet.
The BIG question for me will be, I think, the most important one of all: Will Odysseus seamlessly (and I mean *seamlessly*) read our existing Eudora mailboxes, attachment relationship and all?
I signed up for the advanced registration - not sure if it’s still available - that gives you Odysseus for half-price (while also demonstrating to IDS that we’re committed to buying the commercial product).
Cheers from (too darn hot) Mexico,
M.