Talking Mail.app: Ethan Schoonover
Ethan Schoonover is the developer of Kinkless GTD 
(kGTD), a collection of AppleScripts and a template for OmniOutliner Pro and iCal that implements David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” philosophy for Mac users.
HW: How would you describe yourself?
ES: A recent interviewer described me as an “international gadabout” which is my preferred title as it sounds both worldly and completely irresponsible. Otherwise I would suggest ‘photogrammer’. Work (and right brain stimulation) is photography (ejas.net ) but I program when I’m not shining bright lights at people.
HW: What kind of Mac do you use?
ES: My primary Mac is a Dual 2.7 G5, 4GB Ram, with two terabytes of disk space (half internal, half external). On the road I use a 15″ Powerbook. iPod Mini 2nd gen (I’m holding out for the iPhone). Main monitor: 23″ cinema, Second monitor, a Philips 18″, vertical orientation.
HW: How long have you been using Mail.app? What other clients have you used (and why did you stop)?
ES: I’ve switched (back) to the mac (after a ten year hiatus) almost exactly a year ago. Until then I was an Outlook addict. When I started my “OSX adjustment period” and began to select my core apps, I took a look at Entourage. Entourage is ugly. Really, really ugly. On the mac, for the most part, ‘ugly’ correlates strongly to ‘crappy’. Not in all cases, but it’s a common symptom. So I decided against Entourage and went straight for Mail.app.
I was in shock at first since it had no clear calendar or task integration. I’ve since learned to love the simplicity and single mindedness of this approach. To abuse some OO terminology, the i-apps in OSX tend to have strong cohesion and are loosely coupled which I now realize is a very good thing for my PIM functions.
HW: What plugins and extensions do you use to make your email experience better?
ES: My aesthetic dictates that I dislike the Mail 2.0 buttons, so I use Mail Stamps. I’m probably going to look at using some template or mass mailing plugins for user support mails soon, though I am not certain whether I’ll manage that from Mail.app or not.
I tried MailTags and Mail Act-on , and both seemed interesting but I need to carve out some solid time to work through them in detail. I’m going to be building in better mail-kgtd integration soon via scripts. Not really a plugin, but I’ll use it a lot.
HW: What’s your favourite thing about Mail.app?
ES: Favourite Things: Clarity. No kipple. Decent scriptability. Pine scent.
HW: What’s your pet hate about Mail.app?
ES: Right click, “move-to” does not spring open nested IMAP folders.
HW: If you could tell the Apple Mail development team one thing, what would it be?
ES: The UI feels a bit off visually… but other that vague comment, thank you for a fine app.
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You can read other interviews with developers and Mac identities talking about their Mail.app experiences by following this tag cloud link.
Tags: Apple Mail, dislikes, ethan schoonover, gtd, kgtd, likes, mail.app, talking mail.appRelated posts
March 2nd, 2006 at 7:02 am
[...] Tim Gaden’s been doing a series on various Mac folks’ usage of Mail.app. He’s talked with folks like John Gruber, Mathowie, and Ethan Schoonover about what they like (and don’t) about OS X’s default mail application, as well as the ways they’d like to see it improve. [...]