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Thread: simple e-mail client

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Question simple e-mail client

    Hi there,
    I'm looking for a simple e-mail client and I can't find anything.

    Now I'm using GNUbiff as a mail notifier plus Firefox (webmail -- gmail).
    The thing is I have a seven years old computer. As you can imagine it isn't powerful. GNUbiff is great, but Firefox isn't lightweight. Also I can't call myself as webmail fan. It's not comfortable to read new e-mail when firefox is off. I need to wait until it'll start, I have to log in and then I'm able to read new message. It's like using a lorry to grocery shopping to me.

    That's why I'm looking for a simple, clean, lightweight and equipped only with essential features and preferably nothing else e-mail client.
    All I need is:
    * IMAP,
    * check two (g)mail accounts (one also would be great),
    * read e-mails,
    * write e-mails in plain text,
    * download attachments,
    * nothing else.

    I don't even need templates, signatures, an address book, filters... not to mention about PIM stuff. I need nothing, but things listed above.

    Actually what I need is GNUbiff plus reading and writing plain text emails. Thunderbird or Evolution is absolutely out of table.

    I know I have high expectations, but maybe one of you guys heard about something like that?

  2. #2
    DeMus is offline I Ubuntu, Therefore, I Am
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    Re: simple e-mail client

    Quote Originally Posted by hernandez14 View Post
    Hi there,
    I'm looking for a simple e-mail client and I can't find anything.

    Now I'm using GNUbiff as a mail notifier plus Firefox (webmail -- gmail).
    The thing is I have a seven years old computer. As you can imagine it isn't powerful. GNUbiff is great, but Firefox isn't lightweight. Also I can't call myself as webmail fan. It's not comfortable to read new e-mail when firefox is off. I need to wait until it'll start, I have to log in and then I'm able to read new message. It's like using a lorry to grocery shopping to me.

    That's why I'm looking for a simple, clean, lightweight and equipped only with essential features and preferably nothing else e-mail client.
    All I need is:
    * IMAP,
    * check two (g)mail accounts (one also would be great),
    * read e-mails,
    * write e-mails in plain text,
    * download attachments,
    * nothing else.

    I don't even need templates, signatures, an address book, filters... not to mention about PIM stuff. I need nothing, but things listed above.

    Actually what I need is GNUbiff plus reading and writing plain text emails. Thunderbird or Evolution is absolutely out of table.

    I know I have high expectations, but maybe one of you guys heard about something like that?
    I have absolutely no idea if the program you are looking for exists. You say Firefox is not lightweight. No, that's true. It takes for ever to load and showing pages is slow. What you could do, even though you are not a webmail fan, is using Google Chrome. It is lightweight and lightning fast. When you enter your mail webpage after having signed in you can let Chrome remember your password, so the next time you don't need to sign in anymore. It will be done automatically.
    If this is not what you like then I wish you good luck finding something else. If you find it, please let us know, so others may benefit from it as well.

  3. #3
    DeMus is offline I Ubuntu, Therefore, I Am
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    Re: simple e-mail client

    Have a look here and see if Balsa is something for you. They say it is lightweight.

    When you type: "linux lightweight e-mail client" in Google you get many answers.
    Last edited by DeMus; August 14th, 2010 at 09:50 AM.

  4. #4
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    Re: simple e-mail client

    Check sylpheed or claws-mail. Really lightweight would be text-based, like mutt or alpine.

  5. #5
    wojox is offline I Ubuntu, Therefore, I Am
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    Re: simple e-mail client

    +1 for Mutt. I doesn't get anymore lightweight than that.

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    Re: simple e-mail client

    +10 for mutt.

    The little doggy can do everything. It is good for use on a server.

  7. #7
    Join Date
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    Athens, Greece
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    Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala

    Re: simple e-mail client

    i'm pretty sure that for imap alpine is better than mutt,
    So my vote goes to Alpine.

  8. #8
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    Nov 2009
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    Re: simple e-mail client

    Thank you guys for your suggestions.

    I'm writing only now, because I was testing non-intensively your propositions. In fact I haven't finished testing. You can read below what I've figured out.

    Sylpheed
    It's quite lightweight. Only one thing I can't stand. I don't know how to make Sylpheed to automatically mark as read everything that goes to gMail spam folder. Also I have to check twice e-mails which are automatically by filters put into another folder. I'm checking in IN-BOX and then this same message is still marked as unread in the second folder.

    Claws has this same marking-as-read problem and it's very similar to Sylpheed, as its fork, but Sylpheed is easier to get started if you have gmail.

    Balsa
    The view is nice and clean, but I can't send e-mails. There is a problem with authentication which is required.

    Originally I wanted GUI software, but when I saw how lightweight GUI programs worked I decided to give text-based a chance.

    Mutt
    I wasn't able to configure mutt in less than ten minutes, so I thanked for cooperation and tried...

    Alpine (winner)
    It's great. I used this for a while a few years ago. It was called Pine.
    Running alpine with "-i" takes me directly into my in-box, then I can read an e-mail, take an appropriate action (respond, delete or archive) and quit really fast.
    Although my dream is to make Alpine to act exactly like gmail so I'll don't need to clean all the clutter with webmail. I haven't figured out yet how to (A) "archive" mails exactly like gmail does and (B) delete them permanently.
    Perhaps (I didn't check) it has the same marking-as-read problem (as Sylpheed), but I don't see other folders in in-box view, thus it's not so annoying.
    It would be better to have something like this with GUI, but I finally decided to give Alpine a chance and test it in long-term.

    Alpine won my "the simple e-mail client contest" and it works for me as yet, then thank you all guys for you suggestions.

  9. #9
    Join Date
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    Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot

    Re: simple e-mail client

    I have downloaded Alpine, and it is on the list of installed programs. But I can't find it. Any suggestions?

  10. #10
    Join Date
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    Xubuntu Development Release

    Re: simple e-mail client

    Alpine is a CLI app, therefore it won't have a menu entry. Open a terminal,
    Code:
    alpine

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