MR/2 ICE 2.67 - Email Program

MR/2 ICE is a speedy, unconventional, highly efficient and at the same time a bit odd and awkward email client. Its templates and "phrases" are great, but some things are more complicated than necessary while others — spam filtering, for example, or HTML support — are missing completely.

When MR/2 ICE (Mail Reader/2 Internet Cruiser Edition) first appeared for OS/2 in what I believe was 1996, its interface was unique and a bit odd. It has not changed one iota since.

The tabbed interface — yes, tabbed emailing is that old — works for OS/2, where the notebook is a standard interface element. But even on Windows, where MR/2 ICE looks really strange, there is no arguing over MR/2 ICE's efficiency.

Not only are there tons of keyboard shortcuts, not only are many things just a click away, not only is everything refreshingly speedy, MR/2 ICE also offers great tools that help you with writing standard emails fast. Flexible templates automate message creation and MR/2 ICE's "phrases" let you insert oft-used text snippets fast. Incoming mail can be filtered flexibly, too, even before you download it.

Unfortunately, MR/2 ICE only supports POP accounts, and to access more than one you have to create multiple profiles, each with its own settings and folders. Built-in spam filters, encryption and support for HTML formatting are missing from MR/2 ICE and some tasks (attaching a file, for example) are more complicated than should be necessary.

Still, MR/2 ICE is an interesting and usable alternative email client.