Let's start with positive things about this program. The email client is on a par with most other email clients. You can do just about anything that you would ever desire, including creating maintaining email accounts, receiving messages, replying, forwarding, and so on.

One of real benefits to Outlook Express is ability to create identities. I don't know about you, but I have several email accounts. Using standard Outlook 2000 client all of messages from all of accounts get thrown together in one list (my understanding is that Outlook XP fixes this, but who wants to install such a piece of garbage as Office XP on their system?) Outlook express allows you to create more-or-less separate, well, everything for each and every email account (if you so desire). This way, all of contacts, inbox, sendbox and so on are totally unique to account.

The newsgroup reader is standard, online type. This was first newsgroup reader that I ever used, and it meets most of requirements of anyone doing light to medium reading and posting. Other, far better newsgroup clients now exist, however, so Outlook Express cannot be recommended based upon newsgroup client alone.

Contacts are handled in a more or less standard way. You've got a list of contacts, and you can add their mailing information as needed. The contact can be defined directly from an email message, which is a nice touch.

The rule engine in Outlook Express probably was considered advanced many years ago, but by today's standards it is mundane. However, it can be used to block spam, file away messages and perform autoreplies.

A feature which is really cool is called Email Stationary. One of best features about Outlook Express is built-in stationary editor. It's not super-sophisticated, but it does job of creating simple and intermediate stationary files very well.

Okay, now for negatives about this product. I can sum up biggest negative in just one sentence:

The reason why viruses such as Melissa, Iloveyou and like exist and thrive is proliferation of Outlook and Outlook Express.

You see, Outlook Express (and it's big brother Outlook) support email scripting. Other email clients do allow you to execute programs and scripts, but very few of them allow email client itself to be invoked from script or executable. Why is this a problem?

Before going any further, it may be useful to explain how email works. By it's very nature, email is completely insecure. Any number of people can read that personal note you have written, and it's very possible that your private messages to that other woman could wind up in newspaper.

Perhaps best analogy is to compare email to postcards. When you send a postcard, you write your message on one side and put address on other. The message can be read by anyone who cares to pick up postcard.

The path an email takes to get to it's destination is very interesting. First, of course, you compose a message in your email program. Regardless of whether it is Eudora, Outlook, Outlook Express or any number of other packages, email will almost certainly be saved in a temporary folder. Some mail programs delete temporary copy of message after it is sent and some do not. In any event, it is entirely possible that a copy of email is sitting on your hard drive for anyone to look at.

Of course a copy is kept in your sent items folder, unless you've deleted it. And even then, a copy might be kept in your deleted items folder. If you are using Microsoft Exchange as your email engine, then it might even save a copy even if you delete message permanently, just in case.

Okay, once you send email it goes out to internet. It's possible for a very good hacker to grab it directly off wire (although highly unlikely as this is not easy). The message will get routed to your ISP's email server, which means it will reside on one or more computer systems for a brief time. Of course it could be intercepted at any of these.