Configuring SNARF
While SNARF comes with default settings that should work for most people, it is easily configurable. Click the little blue box icon (Settings) in a pane to open the Settings dialog box for that view. The Settings dialog box for each view looks like the one in Figure B.

FIGURE B

Each SNARF view can be configured to meet your individual needs. Click picture for a larger image.

You have complete control over how SNARF does its job using these dialog boxes, but frankly, I haven't felt a need to change the default settings in any way. For me at least, SNARF adds value right out of the box.

Conclusion
I've been living with this SNARF beta for a couple of weeks and am generally happy with it. The algorithm that equates the number of messages I send someone with their importance to me does a good job of showing me the messages that I should deal with next, without any fuss or bother.

The plain user interface is also a benefit. I have put a lot of effort into the organization and appearance of Outlook on my computer. The problem is that there's so much to play with when I open the Outlook window. All those messages and folders and views make it easy to get sidetracked into non-productive activities.

With SNARF, there's nothing exciting to look at or play with. It merely organizes access to my messages in the way that makes the most sense. You still need Outlook running for SNARF to do its job, but Outlook can stay minimized. Just double-click a name in SNARF to open the relevant messages. No temptation to fiddle with Outlook fonts or reorganize folders or anything like that. You simply get your work done faster and with fewer distractions.

I have noticed one snag with SNARF. At least on my systems, it seems to interfere with the Outlook Backup Add-in. If you close Outlook before closing SNARF, and the backup add-in tries to start, it fails, and displays the error message shown in Figure C. [Most likely, this is because the Outlook files are still open as long as SNARF is open. Backup requires Outlook's files to be completely closed before it can work. -- Ed.]

FIGURE C

SNARF and the Outlook Backup add-in can conflict with each other in this beta.

The work-around for this problem is simple. If you use both the backup add-in and SNARF, make sure you close SNARF before you close Outlook. This is a bit of a pain, and interferes with SNARF's basic function of making it easier for you to work with your mail, but I expect that Microsoft will deal with this issue before SNARF comes out of beta.

SNARF is definitely not for everyone. But if you have more email than you have time to process it, and you're willing to let an algorithm prioritize your messages for you, then I think you'll like SNARF.

It is hard to give SNARF a definitive rating, since it is still in beta test. Based on how it works right now, I would give it a 4. It's not perfect, and it certainly isn't flashy, but SNARF does what it promises and does so well.

You can download a copy of this useful tool from the SNARF page on the Microsoft Research website, http://research.microsoft.com/community/snarf/.

OUR RATING: 4 of 5

For more than 20 years, David Gewirtz, the author of Where Have All The Emails Gone? and The Flexible Enterprise has analyzed current, historical, and emerging issues relating to technology, competitiveness, and policy. David is the Editor-in-Chief of the ZATZ magazines, is the Cyberterrorism Advisor for the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals, and can be reached via email at david@zatz.com.