January 1st 2012 - Pegasus Mail v4.63

 

Although I intended that v4.62 would be the last v4.x version of Pegasus Mail, it became apparent that there were numerous small problems that would be best fixed by another interim release, rather than waiting until the first iterations of Pegasus Mail v5. As a result, we have put together v4.63, which has over 70 small changes, bug fixes and corrections. The modifications are mostly internal, and there are few visible external or cosmetic changes in the program. It should be very stable, and it is our intention that it serve as the formal release while the v5 beta process takes place over the course of 2012. A parallel release is being made of both German and English versions, with other translations to follow soon.

It's also worth noting that the Pegasus Mail installer and executable files are now digitally signed, using my name ("David Harris"). If your browser or installer complains about them being unsigned, or tells you that they have been signed with a signature that does not use my name, then the files are not authentic. A small security measure, but we believe it is quite worthwhile.

Previously, in Pegasus Mail v4.62, September 2011

Version 4.62 mainly concentrates on fixing late-breaking incompatibilities in HTML rendering caused by the release version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 browser. V4.62 users should experience reliable, high-quality HTML display using this version, with the quality of rendering being even higher than in previous versions.
  • Updated editor  V4.62 also uses a heavily-updated version of the editor module we use, and has numerous changes in the way editing buffers are constructed, meaning it should now be able to edit and reply to much more complex HTML message formats than previous versions, and editing should be much more reliable.
  • Open link in background   You can now Ctrl+Click on any link in a message to open that link in your web browser without bringing the browser to the foreground. This allows you to open a succession of links then work with them when you're ready.
  • Signatures overhauled   The way signatures are handled has been totally overhauled, and you should now find they work considerably better when you insert them at compose-time.
  • Faster POP3 downloads   POP3 downloads should be significantly faster when you have chosen to leave mail on the POP3 server.

Finally, quite a few small bugs, some of them quite long-standing, have now been fixed.

We expect this to be the last release in the V4 family of Pegasus Mail, with the next release being the first iteration of the V5 family. Click here to go to the downloads page for v4.62.

Previously, in Pegasus Mail v4.61, March 2011

Pegasus Mail v4.61 Version 4.61 is an interim release – not quite version 5, but part of the way there. We're releasing it primarily because it incorporates some important bug fixes, but it has some extremely worthwhile new capabilities too.

  • New HTML renderer  HTML has become increasingly common in e-mail, even though it is actually not especially well-suited to the medium and is technically challenging to implement there. Version 4.61 includes a new HTML renderer that uses the built-in power of Internet Explorer to render HTML. Developed by Michael in der Wiesche, this renderer has been exhaustively tested and secured, and we believe it meets all our very high standards for security. For people who really don't trust Internet Explorer, though, Martin Ireland's BearHTML renderer has also been improved and can be used instead with a single click of a button.
     
  • New graphics, updated interface  Version 4.61 sports beautiful new graphics designed by Sven Henze. The program is also most of the way towards a redesigned user interface with a more "modern" 3D look. We believe the combination of Sven's graphics and the new look make the program very attractive in a classical way.
     
  • Numerous bug fixes  including, but not limited to the following: HTML messages with very long lines will now render correctly; mailto: specifiers are now removed correctly when adding addresses to addressbooks and lists; fixed crashes caused by various types of malformed message; corrected the colour selector for filtering rules; allowed folders to be dragged onto closed trays when rearranging the folder hierarchy... and many more.
     
  • Accent expansion in the glossary  you can now create accented characters using the Glossary Expansion key (Ctrl+E in the English version). Simply type the base character followed by the accent you want added, then press Ctrl+E. For example, to create an e-acute character (é) simply type e' then press Ctrl+E. For a complete table of the accented characters that can be created, consult the full Pegasus Mail help file.
     
  • Confirm-reading prompts  You can now have Pegasus Mail prompt you for whether or not a confirmation-of-reading message is sent when a message contains a request for one (the original options for always and never sending them remain available as well). Make this change in the "Advanced" settings page.
     
  • Size column for drafts and queued mail  The window that displays draft messages and messages in the sending queue now includes a size column, by popular request.
     
  • Attachment size controls  System administrators wanting to control the maximum sizes of attachments sent with the program can now do so by running the LIMITS.EXE program supplied with the system. LIMITS.EXE allows you to specify both soft and hard limits (a "soft" limit pops up a warning but still allows the user to add the attachment, while a "hard" limit does not allow the attachment to be added). LIMITS.EXE places values in the Windows Registry, and system administrators may wish to remove it from the installation directory to a location not accessible to users.
     
  • Commandline and GUI versions of MBXMAINT  The Mailbox Maintenance utility, MBXMAINT, now comes as two versions: MBXMAINT.EXE is a commandline utility that can be used in scripts, while MBXMAINT_UI is the traditional GUI version of the application. Both have also been slightly improved in the types of error conditions they can handle.
     

Click here to go to the downloads page, where you can retrieve the new version.


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