Having an Evolution and Mail notification Problem?

[Les Mikesell]

Robin Laing wrote:

>> Yes, exchange is a surprisingly good IMAP server (2000 or later 
>> anyway), but you can't get the calendar that way and if there are a 
>> lot of public folders on the server you need a client that can be 
>> configure to only show subscribed folders (apple mail can't...).  I 
>> think everything should work through imaps too if your admin is 
>> concerned about security.
>> You might be able to set up a server-side rule to forward or copy to 
>> another server that would be easier to use.  I use gmail for most mail 
>> list traffic but pick it up with fetchmail so I can access it with 
>> imap.  This would also let me sort with procmail if I wanted.
>>
> 
> Our IT staff are being told by someone new to the organization that it 
> is exchange and only exchange.  No forwarding or anything else.  They 
> even toasted our mail lists and supports mail lists for a few months.
> 
> No Imap, No pop.  This even upsets our local IT staff.

Use the situation to demand a laptop just for the purpose of running 
outlook.  Park it next to your real desktop and run synergy so you can 
share a keyboard and cut/paste between systems most of the time. It will 
solve your problem and the person in charge obviously doesn't care about 
costs.

> I think the issues that I am having but you don't experience are because 
> I am not using Imap.  I find Evolution works just like Outlook which I 
> hated worse than Internet Explorer in those few months I used Windows. I 
> played and played with all the settings for checking mail and processing 
> mail.

Outlook 2003 isn't all that bad.  Earlier versions had a lot of 
problems.  I keep a windows box around with it running for the calendar 
and the occasional visio attachment that I need to view. but actually 
read most mail on TB via imap.

> What I found was slowing the system down in regards to using filters was 
> it took forever to scan the messages and process them.  I am not the 
> only person having these issues here.  Even one of our IT members has 
> the same issues.

How's the speed if you use browser access to owa?

> I will look at setting up an imap server on my computer once I install FC7.

If your organization doesn't prohibit outside internet access, you might 
want to move all of your internet email (lists, etc.) to an outside 
server.  If you can find one that lets you use imap directly, so much 
the better, but gmail is tolerable if you let fetchmail grab mail with 
pop and dump it in your imap server.  It actually has the advantage that 
way in that you set up gmail to 'archive' as you download.  Then you can 
delete your copy as you read but if you want to go back or search for 
something later you can use their web interface to access the saved copies.

> As for hotkeys, I don't really need them.

I like to read in an unthreaded latest-first view but often want to see 
the rest of a conversation so a quick bounce between threaded/unthreaded 
is handy. On the mac, the generic hotkey setup in the OS is enough to 
add it.  There's also a plugin for TB for the other versions but I 
haven't gotten around to installing it.

> I won't look at Evolution until I see some changes that make it worth my 
> time.  I really hate the way addresses are shown in the compose applet. 
>  I prefer the individual line for each address.  I also don't like the 
> date display for messages.  I find the "Today, Yesterday ..." to be 
> confusing and distracting when I am scanning lists. 

I'm not that picky - I just read backwards from newest until I run into 
things I've already seen.  The one thing that matters to me is that when 
I hit delete, the selection should move to the next message.

 > But that is my
> personal preference.  I still like Pine and use it for most of my system 
> admin mail.  :)

Pine has to be the most bizarre user interface known to man. Elm/mutt 
are sort-of tolerable but these days a plain text-only message is 
uncommon except on internet lists.

-- 
   Les Mikesell
    lesmikesell at gmail.com