Re: Linux Mail Client (was: Re: Web browsers for Linux (was: Re: Netscape Bus Error))
On Tue, Aug 22, 2000 at 05:10:54PM -0700, Steve Lamb wrote:
> On Tue, Aug 22, 2000 at 06:33:48PM -0400, David Zoll wrote:
> > OK, you want mail from separate accounts to be collected into separate
> > locations in one account, each with their own set of subfolders, and a
> > mail client which can understand this, and send outgoing mail
> > appropriately for the account whose mail it's looking at, potentially
> > changing everything from the signature file to the mail server. How
> > does the following sound:
>
> Of course your falling into the "personailities" mentality.
>
> > 1) Fetchmail, which will grab the mail from separate accounts, and
> > stuff it through...
>
> Requires filtering to separate out accounts which should be separate in
> the first place.
poll mailserver with pop3:
user fred
pass noway
mda "/usr/bin/procmail -d %T .filters/filters-for-fred"
poll mail2 with pop3:
user bob
pass nothere
mda "/usr/bin/procmail -d %T .filters/filters-for-bob"
etc, etc, etc.
Note that the "filtering" is done by fetchmail. If you don't want
filters, then don't specify that portion of the command line.
> > 2) A MTA, any MTA. I use exim, which will happily stuff the mails
> > through...
>
> And, amazingly enough...
>
> > 3) Procmail, which will easily organize your email into whatever
> > structure you see fit, with plenty of folders and subfolders for...
Well, you need a local delivery agent. I guess you could use 'cat', but
since it doesn't handle file locking, it would be silly.
> ...also does filtering, no need for procmail.
xfmail, as I recall, had okay filtering (or "views") but I dislike the
"dump everything into one mailbox and sort it when reading" concept.
I like my debian-user thrown into a different mailbox so I can read it
when I feel like it.
> > 4) Mutt, which can either be set up with an bunch of folder-hook
> > commands to change your settings based on which account's email you are
> > looking at, or with a different muttrc for each account and run with
> > "mutt -M ~/.muttrc-<account>", depending on how you want to use it. Use
> > aliases to keep the command lines easy to remember and type.
>
> A bunch of folder hook commands or have to use a separate instance
> completely.
>
> So each time I sign up for a new mailing list on my work account, for
> example, I need to:
>
> Add a new filter to my work account set of filters.
> Add a folder definition into Mutt just to keep it straight.
> Still send mail out my home SMTP server.
No.
You know you can set folder hooks based on path names?
>From my .muttrc:
# first, set our global defaults....
folder-hook . 'source .mutt/standard-defaults'
# now handle special mailboxes...
folder-hook support 'source .mutt/support-defaults'
folder-hook Lists 'source .mutt/list-defaults'
folder-hook secure 'source .mutt/secure-defaults'
folder-hook news-admin 'source .mutt/news-defaults'
folder-hook '!' 'source .mutt/inbox-defaults'
# override anything specified above (like colors for Tags and Flags)
folder-hook . 'source .mutt/standard-defaults-override'
All my mailing list mail goes into ~/Mail/Lists/list-name, which the
lists-defaults handles for me.
So sort mail for your 'foo.com' account into ~/Mail/foo/, mail for
'example.com' into ~/Mail/example/ and let the folder hooks do their
thing when you change mailboxes.
You can also have mutt auto-find its lists:
mailboxes `echo ~/Mail/Lists/*`
> Contrast:
> Nothing.
>
> > The only downside I see with the above is it's a bear to configure
> > initially. It should be a SMOP to write a script or a GUI druid to
> > automate such configurations.
>
> It is a bear to configure every time something changes, it doesn't keep it
> all separate, COMPLETELY SEPARATE. That is unacceptable.
Only because you insist on being difficult. It amazes me that in the
three years I've seen you whining about how all mail clients are
unworthy of you, you haven't actually bothered to figure out how to
adapt them to your needs.
The above configuration works just fine for dealing with multiple
identities and settings.
> > If this isn't enough power for you, what more do you want? There's
> > probably a solution, but you have to be specific as to your needs. If
> > you can't express what you want, "Too bad" is all that can really be
> > said without you paying someone.
>
> I have been specific. I have even given examples! PMMail and The Bat!
> Screen shots alone for those two products speak volumes!
Source speaks, not screen shots.
If you don't like the way any mail client works, take the source and
make it work the way you want.
-That- is what GNU/Linux is about.
--
Brian Moore | Of course vi is God's editor.
Sysadmin, C/Perl Hacker | If He used Emacs, He'd still be waiting
Usenet Vandal | for it to load on the seventh day.
Netscum, Bane of Elves.
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