The key to success for all newbies and oldsters, is that "whatever" has to be short, sweet and simple to use....and fast...and hopefully free. The less "mental clutter" and program clutter the better. Any user looks for what "fits" his/her demands. What goes on behind the scenes in the work environment is not the same as what goes on in the home. Phobic techies need to be able to distinguish between the two.
Some would have us believe that just because a program is "out of date"
does not mean that it is useless...ask any senior facing or having just faced retirement. Or the disabled, who need two and three click programs to do a job after a minimal setup. For some, it's an effort just to punch a key.
I communicate often with an elderly [into his 80,s] gentleman in Kentucky who still uses Windows 95 and Netscape 4.x...and has no wish to change...in spite of my continued cajoling...it is too confusing and upsetting for him to use any other software as his basis for communication on the net. He openly admits that he is not mentally facile as he once was...and thus, if he runs into probs he can pretty well solve them himself now, or consult with a fiend, or me...only because I'm handy
The "real world" is not so cut and dried or black and white.
Although Firefox is taking over. Once Netscape took out its mailing function in 8.x and 9.x, it was not worth using. 
