mac.com email

1. Get an account on mac.com if you don't haveo ne yet. Sign up from http://www.mac.com
2. To use webmail, go to http://webmail.mac.com (this is practical when traveling or checking email from work etc)
3. To set up mail.app program of OS X, in Mail's Preferences, create a new account, select account type to be "Mac" and set your username and password for .mac, and setup is automatic from that point.
4. To set up .mac mail to other mail programs or other OS, you can use it as IMAP or POP, the incoming and outgoing addresses should be default (mail.mac.com, smtp.mac.com) - so it is possible to use it woth Kmail, Evolution etc etc.
5. Use any of the above method or all of them.
 
Thank you Giaguara, most helpful advice!
May i ask, why should i prefer to use a mail app program to use my mac mail rather than using webmail which seems so much more flexible?
 
I think you may have that backward: webmail is most definitely NOT more flexible than an email client. With an email client, you can choose to view messages in HTML or plaintext format, you can set up advanced signatures, you can filter spam and/or email according to complex rules, you can organize your messages in both folders on the server and on your Mac simultaneously, you can quickly auto-complete addresses from your prior recipients/Address book, blah blah blah... the list goes on and on.

With webmail, on the other hand, you are stuck with the features that they choose to give you online. You don't get advanced message sorting capabilities, nor can you easily move mail messages to your local drive. In addition, to use webmail, you're REQUIRED to have an internet connection -- with an email client program, you can read and reply to messages while you're offline, then send them when you do have an internet connection.

Mail client programs like Mail.app can do EVERYTHING that webmail can do, plus a whole lot more.

I think that's exactly why people choose email client programs (like Mail.app) over web-based email.
 
I guess whats better from the two is a personal thing, as we all have different needs! But let me ask you a few things so i can understand what im missing not having an email client.
1. Why would i want to be able to view msgs in HTML or plain text format? How am i viewing it already using web based email, as HTML?
2. What are advanced signatures?
3. About filtering spam email, arent they filtered by webmail also? Hotmail and Yahoo are doing a terific job on spam as i can see!
4. About organising msgs both Hotmail and Yahoo are doing a good job with organising them all ready i think!
 
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