[Lvlug] Mail Handling Recommendations

[Randy Kramer]

Tom,

Thanks for the response!  

(And thanks also for your earlier response re Rich and installing
Linux.  I emailed him before you replied suggesting we wait for someone
with more experience to step forward, but if he couldn't wait, to email
me with his phone number.  I will give it a little time before I follow
up.  I think he is worried about destroying his existing system when he
tries to install Linux.  I had the luxury of installing Linux on an
"extra" system.  If I have more specific questions I will post again.)

I've added some comments / questions below.

Thanks,
Randy Kramer


Tom Walsh wrote:
> 
> Randy Kramer wrote:
> >
> > Does anybody have recommendations for an email client or utility that
> > would make it easy to do the following:
> >
> > -Store email in a format that is directly usable by a compact but
> > functional email client with a GUI front end.  What functions am I
> > looking for?  Filters, a 3 pane window (folders, contents of one folder,
> > email).
> >
> > -Allow the email to be sorted into folders (manually, and perhaps even
> > automatically based on filters)
> 
> Look into using IMAP instead of POP3 for fetching / managing your mail.
> IMAP allows the use of folders to be stored on the mail server into
> which you can move your messages around between folders.  DO NOT attempt
> this with Micro$oft's Outlook, it is a badly broken implementation of
> the IMAP spec (they refuse to leave mail on the server and insist on
> storing it locally).

Aside: At my last job I switched to Outlook Express (still using POP3)
-- I didn't seem to have as much trouble as people using Outlook.

> 
> I used many (about eight) mail clients in an effort to find one that
> was: 1) graphical, 2) flexible, & 3) reliable.  After many terrifying
> moments (switching between clients) I gave up on POP3 and switched to
> IMAP.  As to the client itself, for all its warts & lockups, Netscape
> mail (netscape version 4.75) gives the best performance for me.  In
> Netscape Mail, I can automatically route mail into IMAP folders based
> upon various conditions, this is important to me as I subscribe to
> several list servers.

Do you happen to know whether the Netscape Mail 4.75 file format (on
Linux) is the same as the Netscape 3 file format on Windows?

Can you run Netscape Mail 4.75 without running Netscape as the browser? 
(I have some difficulty in Windows -- I use IE 5 as my browser, and
Netscape as my mail client.  Even though I set Netscape to start only
the email client, it insists on starting the browser also, and then IE
and Netscape fight over which is the default browser which causes me
some problems that I can work around.  I like my applications lean but
functional -- I will look carefully at KFM, Konqueror, Opera, and others
before I settle for Netscape as my browser on Linux.)

> 
> The downside of IMAP is that it can consume a lot of space on the server
> (especially if you have relatives that insist on sending you the "photo
> of the day").  I run my own domain(s) (cyberiansoftware.com,
> openhardware.net) and I have about 4G free on the mail spool...
> 
> BTW, as you are interested in getting more involved into linux, why not
> register a domain for your purposes (experimentation) and dedicate that
> phone line to making a 24/7 connection with a linux box?  

I've been thinking about registering a domain.  Not so much for this
purpose but because I want to start creating some Web sites, and, as I
understand it, if I have my own domain name, I can move that with me
even if I move the web site from one hosting service to another.  Does
that match your understanding?


You can use
> the machine as a router for your other machines to access the Internet
> through, host your own mail server (I recommend Qmail, get rid of
> Sendmail!).  

I already do some of this -- I have a 386 with 1 MB Ram and 1 floppy
disk that runs IPRoute under Dos and serves as my Internet gateway. 
Some day I may upgrade that to Linux, but I think I will deal with my
mail problem 6 months to a year before I upgrade the gateway to Linux.

Can I run Qmail in a box "behind" the gateway?

You don't need a static IP in order to run a server on the
> 'net, there are a number of ways to use a dynamically assigned IP to
> host a server (I have three machines out there on the 'net that do just
> that).

I may have questions about using a dynamic IP to host a server someday,
but right now I live with a 33.6 dial up modem and don't plan on
attempting to host anything from here.

> 
> TomW
> 
>