Talking Mail.app: Ethan Schoonover
Tuesday, February 21st, 2006
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?
Tags: Apple Mail, dislikes, ethan schoonover, gtd, kgtd, likes, mail.app, talking mail.app