Lavabit NOW - your current experience - Page 3

Merovingian · 16 Aug 2009, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LinuxRoot

Ok, I've had a few days to review Lavabit premium, including their support. I have determined it to be top notch. 5 of 5 stars. I've found an email home.

congrats, I'm happy for you

nooby · 16 Aug 2009, 09:35 PM

Maybe they are that good.

I think the owner have that ambition to give us a good product.

But personally I am a pessimist. I mean suppose they are at most two or three persons.

Even if he buy service from somebody else. They are too few to be a long time reliable service cause the competition is too hard. One need to get in enough money to expand or one need to restrict usage so it keeps within the capacity of what one have.

Blue Bottle had free pop and imap like Lavabit had and they had to go payed only to survive.

Spray.se had free pop here in Sweden and they where much bigger than Lavabit in finance and they had to go payed only.

But who knows.

janusz · 17 Aug 2009, 09:54 PM

I've recently signed up for the simplest (free) Lavabit account, just to see what it offers. I'm not particularly bothered with encryption/privacy (not at the trial account level anyway) and want to use the web interface only.

Well, what's there is hardly worth looking at. A cut-down version of Squirellmail, so cut down that it offers nothing beyond 'send' 'receive' and 'move between folders'. No customisation, no filtering (even manual), no nothing.

Is this how a web interface should look like?

Luzo · 18 Aug 2009, 03:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janusz

I've recently signed up for the simplest (free) Lavabit account, just to see what it offers. I'm not particularly bothered with encryption/privacy (not at the trial account level anyway) and want to use the web interface only.

Well, what's there is hardly worth looking at. A cut-down version of Squirellmail, so cut down that it offers nothing beyond 'send' 'receive' and 'move between folders'. No customisation, no filtering (even manual), no nothing.

Is this how a web interface should look like?

The reason (IMO excuse) is that their webmail cannot store personal infos such as the address book, your preferred stylesheet... as they would need to synchronise these infos between their servers. Well, if they say so...

janusz · 18 Aug 2009, 03:36 AM

Thanks for the info.
So I see no excuse to continue with my trial account, and will allow it to lapse.

xmailer · 18 Aug 2009, 05:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janusz

I've recently signed up for the simplest (free) Lavabit account, just to see what it offers. I'm not particularly bothered with encryption/privacy (not at the trial account level anyway) and want to use the web interface only.

Well, what's there is hardly worth looking at. A cut-down version of Squirellmail, so cut down that it offers nothing beyond 'send' 'receive' and 'move between folders'. No customisation, no filtering (even manual), no nothing.

Is this how a web interface should look like?

True, it is pretty limited for webmail only use, without even an address book, which may be one reason I've made so little use of my account which I've had from way back when they first appeared as mailshack/nerdshack, perhaps somewhere around five years ago, as I've been exclusively a webmail-only user going back at least that long, although they always seemed pretty reliable as a POP3 account.

But while it isn't much, especially without an address book available in the web interface AKAIK, just for the record, there is a little customization possible, although it's somewhat inconvenient as you have to go to a "special" page to access the few options/preferences, to which there isn't any direct link in the webmail itself. But if, while logged into webmail, you open a browser page/tab and go to https://lavabit.com/apps/webmail/src/options.php , there are a few of the standard customization features there, including Personal Information, Display Preferences, Message Highlighting, and Folder Preferences.

And there is filtering, although it's also somewhat inconvenient as it requires a separate login from the Preferences link on the Lavabit main page. But from the "Greylist and Filter Control" options there you can set filters to label, move to folders, or delete messages based on a search of the message headers, a specific header field, the message body, or the entire message. Although I've only made limited use of them, they have seemed to work reliably as far as I've noticed.

In case you weren't aware of it, the reason given here by the service's rep for having limited prerences and not making them directly accessible from the webmail (although I do keep a message sent to myself with a link to the preferences in my webmail for semi-convenient access when I'm logged in, which is a fairly rare occurrence, as I usually only poll the account via POP3 from Gmail) was that the current Squirrelmail interface was intended only as a temporary expedient until they finished development of their custom webmail interface. But since I believe it's been something over a year and a half since that explanation was offered, as time goes on that excuse might seem to be wearing a little thinner.

janusz · 18 Aug 2009, 05:29 AM

Thanks again, but this maze of unlinked pages does nothing to change my opinion of the web interface.

xmailer · 18 Aug 2009, 05:35 AM

Like I said, that's why I make little use of my account as a webmail-only user myself. But I did get a good user name and I keep my account active by regular POP3 polling by Gmail just in case they ever do release their highly-touted custom webmail interface.

sflorack · 18 Aug 2009, 08:03 AM

Sorry for being the pessimist, but I don't believe it. No screenshots, feature listing, discussion about interfaces -- nothing. Being a paid service, I would think they would have released SOMETHING to keep customers excited about the future.

xmailer · 18 Aug 2009, 08:21 AM

I'm certainly skeptical myself after year and half, but it doesn't cost anything to keep my free account open, in case the webmail ever improves, or to access it via POP in the meantime.

Yoda7 · 18 Aug 2009, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janusz

I've recently signed up for the simplest (free) Lavabit account, just to see what it offers. I'm not particularly bothered with encryption/privacy (not at the trial account level anyway) and want to use the web interface only.

Well, what's there is hardly worth looking at. A cut-down version of Squirellmail, so cut down that it offers nothing beyond 'send' 'receive' and 'move between folders'. No customisation, no filtering (even manual), no nothing.

Is this how a web interface should look like?

I believe Lavabit is meant to be used as a POP type account.
I started using it because my ISP's email servers kept crashing.
I like it because there are no annoying adverts and it is supposed to be very secure compared to other webmail offerings. It works very well with Outlook.

If you just want webmail use MS Live/Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo.

Luzo · 18 Aug 2009, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yoda7

If you just want webmail use MS Live/Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo.

... and if you want both, use FastMail/EuMX/Runbox/VFEMail/GMX.

sflorack · 18 Aug 2009, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yoda7

I believe Lavabit is meant to be used as a POP type account.

Definitely agree with you on that.

However, if they're going to survive on paid subscriptions, they have to offer features that are at least AS GOOD as free providers. Empty promises are hard to bank on.

janusz · 18 Aug 2009, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yoda7

I believe Lavabit is meant to be used as a POP type account

So why does the home page says in red: "Our new webmail system is available here"

xmailer · 18 Aug 2009, 10:27 PM

Because their users were clamoring for webmail access, I think, after the service existed for quite awhile with no webmail access at all, and because a year and a half ago it was "their" new webmail system in attempt to appease the demand for same -- and because they update very rarely.

But, until they do, if they ever do, I agree that the service isn't anything worth paying for yet. Even a more full-featured Squirrelmail webmail interface would be far better than the promise of a great custom webmail system which no one, apparently not even themselves, knows when will finally appear. Meanwhile, my account there is just one of my many free "spare" accounts, and will remain as such for at least as long as the service remains in its current state.

16 Aug 2009, 09:35 PM	#32
nooby Essential Contributor Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Europe Posts: 474	Maybe they are that good. I think the owner have that ambition to give us a good product. But personally I am a pessimist. I mean suppose they are at most two or three persons. Even if he buy service from somebody else. They are too few to be a long time reliable service cause the competition is too hard. One need to get in enough money to expand or one need to restrict usage so it keeps within the capacity of what one have. Blue Bottle had free pop and imap like Lavabit had and they had to go payed only to survive. Spray.se had free pop here in Sweden and they where much bigger than Lavabit in finance and they had to go payed only. But who knows.

17 Aug 2009, 09:54 PM	#33
janusz The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: EU Posts: 4,945	I've recently signed up for the simplest (free) Lavabit account, just to see what it offers. I'm not particularly bothered with encryption/privacy (not at the trial account level anyway) and want to use the web interface only. Well, what's there is hardly worth looking at. A cut-down version of Squirellmail, so cut down that it offers nothing beyond 'send' 'receive' and 'move between folders'. No customisation, no filtering (even manual), no nothing. Is this how a web interface should look like?

18 Aug 2009, 03:36 AM	#35
janusz The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: EU Posts: 4,945	Thanks for the info. So I see no excuse to continue with my trial account, and will allow it to lapse.

18 Aug 2009, 05:29 AM	#37
janusz The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: EU Posts: 4,945	Thanks again, but this maze of unlinked pages does nothing to change my opinion of the web interface.

18 Aug 2009, 05:35 AM	#38
xmailer Intergalactic Postmaster Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: USA Posts: 5,485	Like I said, that's why I make little use of my account as a webmail-only user myself. But I did get a good user name and I keep my account active by regular POP3 polling by Gmail just in case they ever do release their highly-touted custom webmail interface.

18 Aug 2009, 08:03 AM	#39
sflorack The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 2,937	Sorry for being the pessimist, but I don't believe it. No screenshots, feature listing, discussion about interfaces -- nothing. Being a paid service, I would think they would have released SOMETHING to keep customers excited about the future.

18 Aug 2009, 08:21 AM	#40
xmailer Intergalactic Postmaster Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: USA Posts: 5,485	I'm certainly skeptical myself after year and half, but it doesn't cost anything to keep my free account open, in case the webmail ever improves, or to access it via POP in the meantime.

18 Aug 2009, 10:27 PM	#45
xmailer Intergalactic Postmaster Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: USA Posts: 5,485	Because their users were clamoring for webmail access, I think, after the service existed for quite awhile with no webmail access at all, and because a year and a half ago it was "their" new webmail system in attempt to appease the demand for same -- and because they update very rarely. But, until they do, if they ever do, I agree that the service isn't anything worth paying for yet. Even a more full-featured Squirrelmail webmail interface would be far better than the promise of a great custom webmail system which no one, apparently not even themselves, knows when will finally appear. Meanwhile, my account there is just one of my many free "spare" accounts, and will remain as such for at least as long as the service remains in its current state.