Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Outlook is an advanced software that includes not only email management, but also contact management, calendars, scheduling, notes and more. It is often used in organizations backed by Microsoft Exchange Server. This combination provides powerful collaboration tools.
Microsoft Outlook comes bundled in the Microsoft Office suite.
Versions of Outlook
| Name | Version Number | Release Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outlook for MS-DOS | - | - | Bundled with Exchange Server 5.5 |
| Outlook for Windows 3.x | - | - | Bundled with Exchange Server 5.5 |
| Outlook for Macintosh | - | - | Bundled with Exchange Server 5.5 |
| Outlook 97 | 8.0 | January 16, 1997 | Included in Office 97 and also bundled with Exchange Server 5.5. |
| Outlook 98 | 8.5 | June 21, 1998 | Freely distributed with books and magazines for coping with newest Internet standard such as |
| Outlook 2000 | 9.0 | June 7, 1999 | Included in Office 2000 and also bundled with Exchange 2000 Server. |
| Outlook 2002 | 10 | May 31, 2001 | Included in Office XP. |
| Office Outlook 2003 | 11 | October 21, 2003 | Included in Office 2003 and also bundled with Exchange Server 2003. |
| Office Outlook 2007 | 12 | November 30, 2006 | Included in Office 2007, except Office Home and Student edition. |
Microsoft also released several versions of Outlook for the Mac; however, most mail features were disabled after Office 98. After Office 98, Entourage replaced Outlook on Macintosh systems, although in 2001 Microsoft released Outlook 2001 for Mac to allow Classic users to access Exchange servers.
Differences between Outlook Express
Outlook Express is a similar, but distinct, e-mail, newsgroup, and contact management application that Microsoft made available at no charge, in conjunction with older versions of its Internet Explorer web browser. Other than the similar name there is no connection between the two products and they originate from different divisions of Microsoft. While both offer access to POP3 and IMAP4 e-mail accounts, only Outlook offers client access (MAPI) to Microsoft Exchange. Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) does not include an e-mail client, however, and Windows Vista (which includes IE7) replaces Outlook Express with Windows Mail. For Windows XP, Outlook Express has been succeeded by Windows Live Mail.
