Replacing the Dead ‘Live Mail’

A: After warning users in 2016 of coming changes, Microsoft stopped official support for Windows Live Mail 2012 and other programs in the Windows Essentials 2012 suite on Jan. 10, 2017. While the Essentials software still functions to some degree and the Live Mail program might still work with some services (except Outlook.com), the program is no longer available for legitimate download and its security updates have stopped, so safety is an issue.

If you don’t care for managing your inbox through a web browser, there are third-party applications to replace Windows Live Mail. Using a different email client after years of Windows Live Mail may feel odd at first, but switching to a program with modern features and future security updates has its advantages.

Mailbird and eM Client are two Windows programs that have streamlined designs and integration with other apps like calendars, address books and to-do lists. Both programs have free versions to try out before upgrading to the paid edition (which brings perks like technical support and the ability to manage mail in an unlimited number of accounts). If you do decide to upgrade, the full version of Mailbird sells for $9 a year or $59 for life, and eM Client charges $50 as a single fee for one device.

Mozilla’s free Thunderbird open-source mail program, which slowed development for a few years but recently advertised for a new engineer to work on the software, is another mail app to consider. Thunderbird includes an easy-to-edit contact list, security protections and robust junk-mail filters among its features, and pairs up with the separate Lighting calendar add-on for scheduling appointments.

— Weave Together Your Twitter Thoughts

A: The lengthy Twitter “thread” is a connected string of posts, usually made to elaborate more fully on a topic and beyond the 280 characters now allowed in a single tweet. If you feel the urge to create a thread on a particular subject, you can compose all the posts in the series before you share it with the world.

To create a thread using the Android (or iOS) Twitter app, start a new post as you normally would by tapping the quill-shaped Compose icon. Write the first message in your planned thread and then tap the small plus (+) icon in the bottom-right corner of the composition window to create a window for the next post. Write that next tweet in the thread and repeat the process until you have made your point — or otherwise finished sharing your thoughts.

Along the way, you can delete a post in the thread by tapping the gray “x” icon to remove it. Selecting the blue “x” icon in the top-left corner lets you save the thread as a draft or delete the entire thing. (Reviewing your saved thread in the Drafts area after a short break is a good opportunity to proofread the series of posts.)

You are still held to Twitter’s maximum character count for each installment. If you exceed the limit, the app highlights the overage so you can cut the text out of that post and paste it into the next tweet.

When you are satisfied with your thread, tap the Tweet All button to share the entire thing at once. Even after you have shared it, you can add to it by opening the thread on your page and tapping the Add Another Tweet button that soon appears.