4 ms·

I don't think people use mutt because of security (other than good PGP support). I think people use mutt because they like the efficiency of a lean, terminal ba

by jvehent 11y ago

I don't think people use mutt because of security (other than good PGP support). I think people use mutt because they like the efficiency of a lean, terminal based, email client.

dmix 11y ago
That plus there aren't many good open source (non-web) options. Thunderbird is pretty bad.
- simoncion 11y ago
  What's wrong with Thunderbird? Note that if you use it as an IMAP client for Gmail, that Gmail's IMAP implementation is -as I understand it- kinda bad, so you're gonna kinda have a bad time.
  - jvehent 11y ago
    There is nothing wrong with thunderbird, but it's a very different user experience from a terminal-based application. Side note: I use mutt with gmail imap and have no problem whatsoever. http://wiki.linuxwall.info/doku.php/en:ressources:astuces:mutt-kz_gpgme http://wiki.linuxwall.info/doku.php/en:ressources:astuces:mu...
  - ulrikrasmussen 11y ago
    I find that it hasn't really been designed for keyboard-only use. Some features, such as switching folders for instance, seem to require a mouse, or at least I haven't been able to find a shortcut for doing it. It's also kind of hard to avoid accidentally composing html emails - it cannot be disabled completely. I still use thunderbird myself though, as I haven't been able to find a better alternative for Linux. claws-mail comes close, but it does too much work in the ui thread, which grinds everything to a halt whenever it fetches email. Why do mail clients all seem to suck so much, given how much people use email?
    - tobik 11y ago
      For switching folders in Thunderbird: Alt-g-o and select new folder with arrow keys Composing HTML emails need to be disabled for every account. Never had a problem with it.
      - danieldk 11y ago
        That sounds like a lot of work if you have a non-trivial number of folders or labels. In the end, mutt vs. Thunderbird is pretty much like vim vs. gedit. gedit is far easier to use out of the box, but vim allows you to define your own (complex) commands, allowing you to basically make your own editor. E.g. I like GMail shortcuts, so I added macros like the following to my muttrc[1]: macro index,pager gl "<change-vfolder>?/" macro index,pager gi "<change-vfolder>inbox<enter>" "go to the inbox" macro index,pager ga "<change-vfolder>archive<enter>" "go to the archive" For instance, gl immediately gives me a list of vfolders and does the keystrokes to start a search. So, like GMail, I can immediately start typing a name of a folder. [1] Note: I use mutt-kz
    - mariusmg 11y ago
      To switch folders with the keyboard : - install Nostalgy addon - press "g" - type/select folder name - profit$
      - ulrikrasmussen 11y ago
        Perfect! That seems to fix the main issues I have with Thunderbird :). Thanks!
  - creshal 11y ago
    It's slow, it's bugged (occasionally it just spins up and uses 100% CPU for hours – or until your battery runs out, or you kill it), and most importantly, its keyboard workflow is poor.
    - hackuser 11y ago
      > its keyboard workflow is poor. Try the Nostalgy add-on.

by jvehent 11y ago

I don't think people use mutt because of security (other than good PGP support). I think people use mutt because they like the efficiency of a lean, terminal based, email client.

dmix 11y ago

That plus there aren't many good open source (non-web) options. Thunderbird is pretty bad.

simoncion 11y ago
What's wrong with Thunderbird? Note that if you use it as an IMAP client for Gmail, that Gmail's IMAP implementation is -as I understand it- kinda bad, so you're gonna kinda have a bad time.
- jvehent 11y ago
  There is nothing wrong with thunderbird, but it's a very different user experience from a terminal-based application. Side note: I use mutt with gmail imap and have no problem whatsoever. http://wiki.linuxwall.info/doku.php/en:ressources:astuces:mutt-kz_gpgme http://wiki.linuxwall.info/doku.php/en:ressources:astuces:mu...
- ulrikrasmussen 11y ago
  I find that it hasn't really been designed for keyboard-only use. Some features, such as switching folders for instance, seem to require a mouse, or at least I haven't been able to find a shortcut for doing it. It's also kind of hard to avoid accidentally composing html emails - it cannot be disabled completely. I still use thunderbird myself though, as I haven't been able to find a better alternative for Linux. claws-mail comes close, but it does too much work in the ui thread, which grinds everything to a halt whenever it fetches email. Why do mail clients all seem to suck so much, given how much people use email?
  - tobik 11y ago
    For switching folders in Thunderbird: Alt-g-o and select new folder with arrow keys Composing HTML emails need to be disabled for every account. Never had a problem with it.
    - danieldk 11y ago
      That sounds like a lot of work if you have a non-trivial number of folders or labels. In the end, mutt vs. Thunderbird is pretty much like vim vs. gedit. gedit is far easier to use out of the box, but vim allows you to define your own (complex) commands, allowing you to basically make your own editor. E.g. I like GMail shortcuts, so I added macros like the following to my muttrc[1]: macro index,pager gl "<change-vfolder>?/" macro index,pager gi "<change-vfolder>inbox<enter>" "go to the inbox" macro index,pager ga "<change-vfolder>archive<enter>" "go to the archive" For instance, gl immediately gives me a list of vfolders and does the keystrokes to start a search. So, like GMail, I can immediately start typing a name of a folder. [1] Note: I use mutt-kz
  - mariusmg 11y ago
    To switch folders with the keyboard : - install Nostalgy addon - press "g" - type/select folder name - profit$
    - ulrikrasmussen 11y ago
      Perfect! That seems to fix the main issues I have with Thunderbird :). Thanks!
- creshal 11y ago
  It's slow, it's bugged (occasionally it just spins up and uses 100% CPU for hours – or until your battery runs out, or you kill it), and most importantly, its keyboard workflow is poor.
  - hackuser 11y ago
    > its keyboard workflow is poor. Try the Nostalgy add-on.