IMAP Mail Client - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

darkure · 05-11-2003, 06:20 AM

I am preparing to switch over to linux. I plan to install Gentoo on one computer and Debian on another.

I need to be able to access my mail at work and they use an IMAP mail server. Do either of these have good built-in mail clients that support IMAP? Or do any of you know a better IMAP mail program?

SecretMethod70 · 05-11-2003, 11:41 AM

The first thing to understand is that Linux, per se, does not come with anything - it's just a kernel. Distributions are just groupings of various programs made by others (and some by the distribution) and an installer, etc.

When talking about Gentoo and Debian, you're dealing with 2 very bare-bones distributions (which, in my opinion, is a good thing). So, especially with Gentoo, it will only have what you want.

That said, the first thing depends on what desktop environment you decide to run. If you're going to run KDE, it comes with KMail. If you choose to run Gnome, I believe it comes with Evolution. (That's not to say you NEED Gnome to run Evolution but I do think you need KDE to run KMail as it's actually part of KDE). Another option - and the mail client I prefer - is Mozilla Mail, soon to become Thunderbird once Mozilla stops developing the suite and begins focusing on the standalone clients (Firebird as browser and Thunderbird as mail).

I believe all 3 of these have IMAP support but I can't guarantee it as I have never specifically needed to use it.

Since I know Gentoo - and it's a lot easier to describe - once you have your system installed all you need to do is su to root and then type "emerge -p mozilla" to see what it would download and compile (in case you don't know, portage takes car of finding all the dependencies for you) and one you look over that and are sure you want to get all that, type "emerge mozilla" and go and take a nap - it'll take an hour or 2 to compile probably depending on your computer. If you want to try Evolution, which is essentially a good Outlook clone with some added functionality, do the same thing (emerge -p evolution, then emerge evolution).

Forgive me if you already know any of this, but if you don't already know any of what I just mentioned about Gentoo, you NEED to do some more reading up before you even think about installing it. Get yourself acquainted with the forums - they're incredibly useful - as well as their IRC channel for when you have questions. And be sure to read straight through the installation, desktop configuration, and portage documentation BEFORE you do anything this way you have an idea about the bigger picture before you start.

Again, I apologize if you know all this already but I'd just like to be sure you don't start installing Gentoo and then get lost or not realize what you got yourself into.

Do the same for Debian as well - in some ways it's easier than Gentoo and in a lot of other ways it's harder.

Anyway, back to the question - I recommend Mozilla Mail. I know for a fact it has IMAP support. I do recommend trying out KMail and Evolution as well though as that's the only way to know which one is the best for YOU.

HTH

darkure · 05-11-2003, 11:47 AM

Thank you for your thorough answer. I am a noob at all of this so I wasn't quite sure. I started reading the forums several days ago and I will check out IRC. Since I don't chat much I tend to forget about it.

SecretMethod70 · 05-11-2003, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by darkure
Thank you for your thorough answer. I am a noob at all of this so I wasn't quite sure. I started reading the forums several days ago and I will check out IRC. Since I don't chat much I tend to forget about it.

Cool. I cannot stress this enough though, if you're a newbie do not start out with Gentoo or Debian unless you REALLY have a deep interest in jumping into the deep end head first when it comes to learning Linux.

If you do, that's awesome, but know that with Gentoo and Debian there is a very minimal amount of hand holding - and I mean MINIMAL.

Also, with Gentoo, just in case you're not aware, it compiles everything from source - which a lot of people like and a lot of people don't. I do. However, doing a stage 1 install (the longest, but most optimized for your computer) it took, I'm guessing, about 8 hours or so on my 1.4 Athlon-TBird processor. Then, of course, I had to compile X Windows and KDE (my desktop environment of choice) which took a total of, if I remember corectly, somewhere around 15 hours. Take into consideration that you're probably not going to stare at the computer the whole time and be there to start one thing immediately after the other, it took me about 2 days to get everything compiled and set up.

Now, you can do a stage 3 install which will have your system less optimized, but will shave down the base installation (before the desktop environment) to a much shorter time. Still, X and KDE will take 15 hours (I started it before going to bed on night)

The benefit of all this (especially a stage 1 installation)? Well, when you do it right (if you're well prepared and know the things you need to know about your hardware, the installation process, etc, you should be fine) then you end up with a system that is completely optimized to your system and that, for over 41000+ packages, all you need to do to download the source, compile, and install something is type "emerge packagename"

When it comes to being prepared, since it seems you've never installed Linux before, I HIGHLY recommend searching for and/or asking in the Gentoo forums what things you'll need to know in advance to install a Gentoo desktop system.

Now, if it sounds like I'm trying to scare you away, it's because I am. Not because I don't want you to try Gentoo or that I don't think someone new to Linux can handle it, but because if you read all this and say "ok, that's fine, it'll be fun to work hord and learn a lot about Linux and compile my system from source" then you have the right attitude to try it. If you read all this and say "wow, that's really scary, I don't know if I can handle all that responsibility and learning the intimate knowledge I need to know in order to install and run a distribution like Gentoo" then you should reconsider what distribution you're starting with.

The same goes for Debian - the install is MUCH shorter, but the knowledge needed is not much different (and it lacks portage).

So, if you're reconsidering what distribution to start out with then I suggest Mandrake Linux. It's the distribution I started out with as well. Now, I would never go back - distributions like Gentoo give you MUCH more freedom and, in my experience, just plain work better than distributions like Mandrake that do a lot more hand-holding. BUT, distributions like Mandrake are really good for getting yourself acquainted with the Linux environment.

If you're not reconsidering and still want to give Gentoo and Debian a try, then I wish you the best of luck - it's a lot of fun if you're willing to go through the process of learning a LOT of new things.

Either way, if you have a friend who knows Linux, definitely use them as a resource - I know I use mine a lot. Also feel free to post here as there are people who are willing to help as well and, if you want to ask me any questions directly, you can find my AIM screenname in my profile.

A few TFP links that may prove useful for you:

<a href="http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4170">ATTENTION: "Why Linux is Not for You: The Lengthy Rebuttal of a Linux User"</a>

<a href="http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3328">Linux Professional Institute Certification Prep</a>

<a href="http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?s=&threadid=203">Top Linux Downloads</a>

Antagony · 05-11-2003, 02:51 PM

Since I need to access my e-mail from multiple platforms on several different computers (work, home, computer lab, library, etc), I use a web-based client called SquirrelMail.

However, you may be less interested because it requires a working installation of Apache and PHP, which isn't much of a hassle to do, but probably wouldn't be worth it if you were just using those for SquirrelMail.

Yeah, I like my SquirrelMail.

http://www.squirrelmail.org

Boner · 05-11-2003, 09:30 PM

I recommend going with Ximian Evolution. I use it with IMAP with no problems.

What Secret said about distros was really good advice. If you're starting out, I'd give Mandrake or RedHat a shot first.

05-11-2003, 06:20 AM	#1 (permalink)
darkure Addict Location: Dodging the ice pick	IMAP Mail Client I am preparing to switch over to linux. I plan to install Gentoo on one computer and Debian on another. I need to be able to access my mail at work and they use an IMAP mail server. Do either of these have good built-in mail clients that support IMAP? Or do any of you know a better IMAP mail program? __________________ COYW

05-11-2003, 11:41 AM	#2 (permalink)
SecretMethod70 Human Administrator Location: Chicago	The first thing to understand is that Linux, per se, does not come with anything - it's just a kernel. Distributions are just groupings of various programs made by others (and some by the distribution) and an installer, etc. When talking about Gentoo and Debian, you're dealing with 2 very bare-bones distributions (which, in my opinion, is a good thing). So, especially with Gentoo, it will only have what you want. That said, the first thing depends on what desktop environment you decide to run. If you're going to run KDE, it comes with KMail. If you choose to run Gnome, I believe it comes with Evolution. (That's not to say you NEED Gnome to run Evolution but I do think you need KDE to run KMail as it's actually part of KDE). Another option - and the mail client I prefer - is Mozilla Mail, soon to become Thunderbird once Mozilla stops developing the suite and begins focusing on the standalone clients (Firebird as browser and Thunderbird as mail). I believe all 3 of these have IMAP support but I can't guarantee it as I have never specifically needed to use it. Since I know Gentoo - and it's a lot easier to describe - once you have your system installed all you need to do is su to root and then type "emerge -p mozilla" to see what it would download and compile (in case you don't know, portage takes car of finding all the dependencies for you) and one you look over that and are sure you want to get all that, type "emerge mozilla" and go and take a nap - it'll take an hour or 2 to compile probably depending on your computer. If you want to try Evolution, which is essentially a good Outlook clone with some added functionality, do the same thing (emerge -p evolution, then emerge evolution). Forgive me if you already know any of this, but if you don't already know any of what I just mentioned about Gentoo, you NEED to do some more reading up before you even think about installing it. Get yourself acquainted with the forums - they're incredibly useful - as well as their IRC channel for when you have questions. And be sure to read straight through the installation, desktop configuration, and portage documentation BEFORE you do anything this way you have an idea about the bigger picture before you start. Again, I apologize if you know all this already but I'd just like to be sure you don't start installing Gentoo and then get lost or not realize what you got yourself into. Do the same for Debian as well - in some ways it's easier than Gentoo and in a lot of other ways it's harder. Anyway, back to the question - I recommend Mozilla Mail. I know for a fact it has IMAP support. I do recommend trying out KMail and Evolution as well though as that's the only way to know which one is the best for YOU. HTH __________________ Le temps détruit tout "Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling

05-11-2003, 11:47 AM	#3 (permalink)
darkure Addict Location: Dodging the ice pick	Thank you for your thorough answer. I am a noob at all of this so I wasn't quite sure. I started reading the forums several days ago and I will check out IRC. Since I don't chat much I tend to forget about it. __________________ COYW

05-11-2003, 02:51 PM	#5 (permalink)
Antagony Psychopathic Akimbo Action Pirate Location: ...between Christ and Belial.	Since I need to access my e-mail from multiple platforms on several different computers (work, home, computer lab, library, etc), I use a web-based client called SquirrelMail. However, you may be less interested because it requires a working installation of Apache and PHP, which isn't much of a hassle to do, but probably wouldn't be worth it if you were just using those for SquirrelMail. Yeah, I like my SquirrelMail. http://www.squirrelmail.org __________________ On the outside I'm jazz, but my soul is rock and roll. Sleep is a waste of time. Join the Insomniac Club. "GYOH GWAH-DAH GREH BLAAA! SROH WIH DIH FLIH RYOHH!!" - The Locust

05-11-2003, 09:30 PM	#6 (permalink)
Boner Insane Location: Plugged In	I recommend going with Ximian Evolution. I use it with IMAP with no problems. What Secret said about distros was really good advice. If you're starting out, I'd give Mandrake or RedHat a shot first.