Why I Choose Email Over Messaging Diomidis Spinellis explains why he prefers email communication over chat messaging, highlighting multiple advantages that enhance productivity and control. --- Benefits of Email Over Messaging Unified Inbox All emails arrive in a single application, avoiding the need to check multiple messaging platforms such as Teams, Slack, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, etc. Unified Archive Past messages are stored in one searchable place—your email archive—rather than scattered across different apps. Long-Term Availability Messaging services and platforms often shut down or get acquired, leading to loss of message history (e.g., ICQ, AIM, MSN Messenger). Email archives can be maintained for decades with local backups. Spinellis has emails dating from 1986. Rich Functionality Email clients offer advanced features such as: Folders for organization Filters for automatic sorting and spam reduction Send-later scheduling for message flow control Tagging for specialized handling (e.g., pending tasks) Address book with customizable salutations Macros to automate repetitive tasks Sorting and sophisticated search by multiple criteria Offline message processing and composition Not all these features are available or consistent across messaging platforms. Single Interface Mastery Using one email client allows users to deeply learn and customize it. Plugins and automation can enhance productivity. Muscle memory from repeated use makes routine tasks efficient. Messaging apps often disperse focus across multiple, less-familiar UIs. Asynchronous Communication Email avoids interruptions from real-time notifications common in chat apps. Users decide when to check and respond to messages, preserving concentration and flow. Freedom from Ads and Addictive Content Messaging apps often include ads or addictive features like short videos. Email clients generally show only the messages, avoiding distractions. Confidentiality Choice of email providers can reinforce privacy, e.g., Proton Mail, offering strong privacy guarantees. Messaging platforms often scan messages for targeted advertising or AI training. Open Protocols SMTP and IMAP are open standards enabling use of any client or operating system. Users are not locked into proprietary platforms and can develop custom clients. Spinellis frequently automates email sending for classes and committees using custom tools. Open Storage Format Email messages are stored in plain-text formats (e.g., Mbox) allowing easy backup, processing, and migration. Spinellis uses scripts to manage attachments, analyze messages, and repair corrupted files. --- Conclusion Email provides an open, reliable, and highly functional communication environment. It facilitates productivity by unifying management and archiving while giving users control, privacy, and flexibility. Spinellis encourages considering email over proprietary messaging apps to maintain these advantages. --- Related Links and Resources Proton Mail: https://proton.me/mail Thunderbird email client: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MozillaThunderbird Wikipedia list of discontinued Google services: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:DiscontinuedGoogleservices Mbox file format: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbox --- This article is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.*