Re: [OT] general mail questions

[Ron Johnson <ron.l.johnson@cox.net>]

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On 07/20/07 17:53, Tyler Smith wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I have a few questions about how mail works. I'm using mutt with exim
> on Lenny, which I use to access my pop mail account. I've noticed that
> my messages sometimes are a long time getting from the server to mutt.
> For example, if I check my email via the webmail webpage without
> starting fetchmail, I can see that I have messages waiting. If I then
> start fetchmail and refresh the webpage I see that the messages have
> been removed from the server. However, the messages don't appear in
> mutt for several minutes. Even if I restart fetchmail when I know
> there are messages waiting for me, it may still take 10 or 15 minutes
> before they actually show up in mutt. Where are the messages after
> they get pulled from the server and before they show up on my laptop?

/var/log/mail.log should tell you what's happening.

> My other question is how do you handle roaming about with a laptop and
> accessing a pop account? I have no problem getting messages into mutt,
> other than mentioned above. But I can't send mail via mutt without
> changing my outgoing mail server, which is awkward if I'm at an
> internet cafe or somewhere else where I don't know the proper server
> address. When I first started using mutt this was a real hassle, since
> there was no warning that my emails weren't being delivered - 
> mutt just behaved normally, despite my messages not getting sent to
> the outgoing mail server. I can still use the webpage interface, but
> then I don't have access to mutt's address aliases, and I can't use
> emacs to write the emails. Is there an easier way to send mail via a
> pop account from a laptop?

IMAP (Internet Mail Access Protocol) exists for this very purpose.

All email stays on a central server, and your MUA transfers *copies*
of the mail down to the local system.  IMAP has sub-folders
(including Draft, Sent & Trash), etc.

fastmail.fm does exactly what you want in regard to being able to
remotely send email thru your "regular" smtp server.

- --
Ron Johnson, Jr.
Jefferson LA  USA

Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day.
Hit him with a fish, and he goes away for good!

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