Big Mountain

Microsoft offers two email systems, Outlook and Outlook Express. Why?
I have used both but prefer OE, probably because I use it much more than Outlook (20:1). I cannot see any advantage of one over the other but I am a very basic user. I'm sure there must be a very good reason for two systems and a more experienced user may have the answer.

What are the pros and cons of both systems and what do the people out there run?

noxela

Differences between Outlook and Outlook Express

Outlook is Microsoft's premier messaging and collaboration client. It is a stand-alone application that is integrated into Microsoft Office and Exchange Server.
Outlook Express is the e-mail client that is included with Microsoft Internet Explorer, and the Microsoft Windows operating system. Outlook Express is designed for use with any standard Internet email system.
Outlook can be configured either as an Exchange client, or as a standard Internet mail client. Outlook Express can only be configured as an Internet mail client.
Caution: Please note, if you configure either Outlook Express or Outlook as a standard internet mail client, and use it to access your Exchange mailbox, it will download all your mail into an Outlook data file on your hard drive and delete the entire contents of your inbox from the server. This can cost you a lot of time to correct, and could lead to the permanent loss of your data.
Despite all of this, you may still need to use Outlook Express. It includes an excellent client for Internet newsgroups, something that is completely lacking in Outlook.
Please see the Microsoft article below for a complete explanation.