Windows 10: Bad experience with Windows 10 Mail

A few days ago I took my life in my hands and installed the 2004 Windows 10 update. Until then I had been happily using Windows Live Mail from Windows Essentials 2012. However after the update it clearly had been scuppered as syncing failed and it became unusable. I knew this would happen at some stage and I was prepared for it to the extent of having all my contacts exported as a CSV file. So I duly took the advice shown online to switch to the Mail app on the desktop, After several hours I managed somehow to get my contacts in some sort of shape by creating a new outlook.com id and importing my stored file. I used the People app to clean up the partly correct contacts and at this stage I thought I was home and dry. However I then discovered to my amazement that the Mail app doesn't support distribution lists or groups as some people call them. Having had a whole load of these with Windows Live Mail I then had a serious problem. Some solutions posted online involved typing in lists of email addresses separated by semi-colons. This would have taken me several days even if it had worked. I did a few and found that they disappeared from view when some sort of syncing took place with People and Outlook. At this stage I was losing the will to live and after sleeping on the problem finally decided to use the Outlook desktop app. I added my host accounts and, hey presto, it is now all working perfectly, This looks very similar to Live Mail and my wife agrees which is good,


So I ask the question: why does Microsoft suggest using Mail to replace the old Live Mail? The absence of distribution lists in Mail is a serious omission. What were the developers thinking? The app is a big step backwards from Live Mail. The closest match in function and appearance is the Outlook desktop app and so why is this not recommended as a replacement for Live Mail? I have managed to solve my problem by using Outlook desktop but I am still not sure if I get this for free in Windows 10 or whether it works because I signed up for a month's trial of 365. This is certainly not clear from any of the information associated with my subscriptions. Or am I being forced down a subscription route so that I can get an email client that works? All very confusing.


Overall this is an experience I could have done without.

:)