The Bat!

The Bat!

Developer(s)	Ritlabs, SRL
Initial release	March 1997
Stable release	7.1.16 (February 18, 2016) [±]
Operating system	Windows
Size	9.6 MB
Type	Email client
License	30-day trial period, $27USD home version, $60USD pro version
Website	http://www.ritlabs.com/en/products/thebat/

The Bat! is a shareware email client for the Microsoft Windows operating system, developed by Ritlabs, SRL, a company based in Chişinău, Moldova.

The Bat! has been regarded as an alternative email client for advanced email users.^[1][2][3][4] It is often praised for its focus on security,^[5][6][7] as well as user interface customization and filtering capabilities.^[8][9]

Features

The Bat! email client processes and stores an unlimited number of messages and has no restriction on the number of added email accounts.

Data Security

• Encryption. The internal PGP implementation based on OpenSSL lets users encrypt messages and sign them with digital signatures. Digital keys manager is included. PGP up to version 10.0.2 is supported. The Bat! supports S/MIME via Internal Implementation or Microsoft CryptoAPI, Secure Socket Layer (SSL) v3.0 / Transport Layer Security (TLS) v1.0 and v1.1 with AES algorithm.
• Internal HTML Viewer. The Bat!’s internal viewer supports HTML 4.0 and CSS v2.0 formatting, while ignoring scripts and executable code. The Bat!’s HTML viewer blocks viruses that use the known HTML vulnerability of Microsoft Internet Explorer (such as IFRAME and Automatic Execution of Embedded MIME type).
• Safe handling of attached files. The Bat! checks attached file extensions and blocks them launching if they are suspicious. The Bat! warns users of double extension attachments and allows users to see the real extension.
• Selective download. Messages can be deleted or left on POP3 servers by setting up respective filters in the Sorting Office.

Productivity

• Sorting Office. A filtering system that sorts incoming, outgoing, read, and replied messages to folders; auto-responds; replies with custom templates; forwards, redirects, prints, or exports messages; sends read confirmations; runs external programs and more.
• Message Templates. Email templates contents are dynamically changed through the use of macros, and additionally, can be used to automatically execute other user defined functions such as cursor positioning, addressing changes, identity changes, active account changes and other.
• Microsoft Exchange Connectivity. The Bat! connects to Microsoft Exchange Server using native MAPI protocol to fetch or send messages.
• Multilingual Interface. Support for 18 languages.
• IDN support. Support for IDNs that contain characters from non-Latin alphabets such as Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic and Greek. IDN support includes Latin alphabet-based characters with diacritics, such as those found in French and German.

History

• 1.0 Beta, the first public version, was released in March 1997. It supported folders, filtering, viewing HTML email without the need to have Internet Explorer installed, and international character sets. It also had a special feature named Mail Ticker.
• 1.00 Build 1310, the first stable version, came to public in March 1998.
• 1.32 introduced a proprietary layout engine^[10][11] on 27 April 2000. Versions up to 1.31 had used the THtmlViewer engine by David Baldwin.
• Version 2.0 (September 2003) introduced IMAP support, a basic HTML editor, Anti-Spam and Anti-Virus Plug-ins and a Scheduler, and could import messages from Microsoft Office Outlook and Outlook Express
• Version 3.0 (September 2004) introduced customizable User Interface, virtual folders, Mail Chat, Biometric authentication and support of MAPI protocol to connect to Microsoft Exchange Servers.
• Version 3.95 (December 2006) supports IPv6.
• Version 4.0 (February 2008) has Address History option, Favorite Folders sets and URL manager for HTML images retrieval. The Bat!'s text editor supports Unicode, internal image viewer supports rotate, advanced resize and zoom algorithms and full screen mode.
• Version 4.1 (December 2008) adds HTML templates, support for SOCKS proxy, and a new mail database format that allows for an unlimited volume of mail.
• Version 4.2 (June 2009) adds postponed sending.
• Version 5.0 (April 2011) improves support for IMAP protocol, hints, folder information html templates, image downloader, odd/even row contrast.
• Version 5.1 (April 2012) adds Inbox Analyzer, image download manager, message tags, hints, external HTML viewing module and Multi-SMTP option.
• Version 6.0 (November 2013) supports International email addresses.
• Version 6.1 (December 2013) supports SSL 3.0 and TLS 1.1 protocols.
• Version 6.2 (January 2014) introduces Summary View.
• Version 6.3 (March 2014) comes with the internal implementation of the RSS feed subscriptions.
• Version 6.4 (April 2014) Address Space Layout Optimization adds extra safety for The Bat!
• Version 6.6 (August 2014) support for Windows Touch technology on desktops and laptops with touch screen as well as hybrid devices and Windows 8 tablets.
• Version 6.7.20 (February 2015) adds separate 64-bit installer.^[12]
• Version 7.0 (August 2015) adds address book sync (CardDAV) and support for the EWS protocol (MS Exchange Server 2007 and later).^[13]

Forged headers

The client's name was included as a preset for forging the X-Mailer software user agent identification header^[14] in a popular mass-mailing tool. SpamAssassin rules now include detection for such forged headers.^[15]

System Requirements

Compatible with Microsoft Windows XP and later versions of Windows operating systems. No minimum requirements for memory size or CPU speed. Runs on any Windows PC platform with at least 1024x768 screen resolution and Windows 8 tablets.

See also

• Comparison of email clients
• Comparison of feed aggregators

References

1. Tschabitscher, Heinz (May 2012). "The Bat! 5.1 - Windows Email Program". About.com. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
2. Kraynak, Joe. Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks. p. 133. ISBN 0-7645-7474-4.
3. Winder, Davey (April 2006). "Product Reviews: The Bat! 3.6 Professional". PC Pro Magazine. No. 138. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
4. IT Reviews Staff. "Ritlabs, SRL - The Bat! review". IT Reviews. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
5. Gaskin, James. Broadband Bible. Wiley. p. 144. ISBN 0-7645-6951-1.
6. LUBRINCO Group (January 2005). ÆGIS. Missing or empty |title= (help)
7. Glitman, Russell (17 February 2004). "The Bat! 2.0". PC Mag: 68. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
8. Randall, Neil (November 2005). PC Magazine Windows XP Solutions (2 ed.). Wiley. p. 163. ISBN 0471747521. along with its templates and forms, and its highly sophisticated filtering and sorting systems, this feature demonstrates its ties to the business community. But it's also of considerable use on non-business PCs, particularly if you grow tired of Outlook (or don't want to buy Outlook.
9. Spanbauer, Scott (2 April 2007). "Discover These Lesser-Known Web and Email Tools". PCWorld. p. 5. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
10. "Ritlabs, SRL says that The Bat! users have nothing to be afraid of". Ritlabs, SRL. 25 September 2006.
11. "US Defence Department against Microsoft Outlook". Ritlabs, SRL. 30 December 2006.
12. "Security and speed boost in the 64-bit version of The Bat!". Ritlabs, SRL. 5 February 2015.
13. "The Bat! v7: Keep your address book in touch with your smartphone". Ritlabs, SRL. 5 August 2015.
14. "The Bat! and The Spammer".
15. Mason, Justin (18 October 2007). "Don't Block "The Bat!"". SpamAssassin. Retrieved 14 June 2012.

External links

• The Bat! homepage