Re: package for Email

[Jean Louis]

* Gottfried <gottfried@posteo.de> [2023-01-18 16:57]:
> 1. Which Email package do you use?

Best Email package for Emacs is program `mutt' https://www.mutt.org --
it's joke, is not Emacs but is console program. You may see features
here: https://www.mutt.org/#features -- don't worry about SSL
certificate, maintainer forgot to renew it. It even has mini-Lisp
built-in.

Mutt invokes Emacs and I answer E-mails. If I wish to compose E-mails
I use Emacs. But I am fast in using it. I do not use M-x, rather I
think of "Gottfried" and find person, then I just press key and
e-mail is composed with my proper return identity to recipient.

Try:

M-x compose-mail

When you set variables:

user-full-name, user-mail-address

Then here is the strategy for e-mails that I use for decades, which
minimizes 

- your e-mail program shall be set in such way that you save ALL
  e-mails to and from recipient's email address in a single Maildir
  type of email folders (I think Thunderbird does not support it)

- If your main e-mail folder is in ~/Maildir I strongly suggest
  everybody to save e-mails in this structure:

  ~/Maildir/gottfried@example1.com
  ~/Maildir/joedoe@gmail.com
  ~/Maildir/jane@yahoo.com

  Which means ALL e-mails related to that e-mail address to be in
  single Maildir folder. Maildir folders have cur, new, tmp,
  directories, so the structure is as following:

  ~/Maildir/jane@yahoo.com/cur
  ~/Maildir/jane@yahoo.com/tmp
  ~/Maildir/jane@yahoo.com/new

  Maildir folder is most error free. See:

  cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html:
  http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html
  
  You do not think about saving e-mails and where and how. When e-mail
  client is set correctly, then I just press single key, and e-mail is
  saved in proper e-mail folder.

  Greatest benefit of this is that in an instant, in less than a
  second, you are able to see all previous conversation related to
  that person's e-mail address!

  Many people use indexed databases to search for e-mails, but because
  you first can see all the conversation for single person, you can
  use quick search by using e-mail client (mutt).

> Can you tell your experience with your email package?

I have tried them all. They can't handle my e-mails. If you think you
will never do business with e-mail, then most powerful package I know
is:

;; MH (Message Handler) is a powerful mail reader. See
;; https://rand-mh.sourceforge.io/.

But I do not use it, as it waste my time. Mutt is fastest, most
handy. I can't wait in other packages.

`mu' for Emacs can't handle my e-mails! I have got too many. Just
Maildir folders are there 59848, that means at least that many
recipients. Despite the number of recipients, it is very easy to find
all conversation for single recipient. In my case I just click, or
press key on a person's entry, or in console I do like:

$ emailsof gottfried@example.com

and in Emacs similarly.

It is possible to run Mutt in terminal inside of Emacs, looks like
Emacs almost.

> 2. Does it make sense for me as an emacs-newbie to change from using
> thunderbird to an emacs email package?

No. I don't recommend. Thunderbird has good features, multiple
accounts, multiple identities, templates, I can just suggest using
external editor if you wish to try out functions in e-mails like
these:

https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-GB/thunderbird/addon/external-editor-revived/

> 3. There are
> Rmail, GNU, Wanderlust, Mu4e etc...

You should look in your personal requirements:

- rmail -- I don't believe it supports multiple identities, but is
  really fine mail client

- Gnus -- forget it (sorry Lars), is not worth effort long term

- Wanderlust -- is usable, but why too much hassle when you already
  have Thunderbird

- mu4e -- is really nice but only if you don't have too many
  e-mails. It can't handle my number of Maildirs, and indexing is in
  background, as long as you don't really have many e-mails, it will
  be good. But it works with mix or large number of emails, without
  any order.

Remember, using one folder per recipient is strong principle that is
useful to see any previous conversation related to some e-mail
address. Mu4e can't do that for you.

Thunderbird is for slow motion, Mutt is for speedy work. 

> 4. I prefer to habe folders because I like to have an overview.
> Mu4e doesn't have folders.

It has, it supports Maildir folders, you need to enable strategy.

And remember, any kind of folders you have, you can convert them later
to other folders.

> 5. I want IMAP.

IMAP is way how you fetch e-mails.

I read IMAP with Mutt, but sometimes I fetch e-mails from IMAP to
local computer first, then process them.

> Do all of them provide IMAP? (does Rmail now provide IMAP)?

If I remember well, first you fetch e-mails from IMAP to local folder
then you read that local folder.

Example settings:

(setq rmail-default-file "/home/data1/protected/Mail/xmail")
(setq rmail-movemail-program "movemail-p")
(setq rmail-use-spam-filter t)

> 7. Which one is easier to use?

Mutt is easiest to use on long term, it will use Emacs in console and
graphical environment, and it can be run from within Emacs in terminal.

> 8. Should I start with Rmail? and later switch to GNU?

IMHO, you stay with Thunderird.

> At the moment I don't need GNU for reading news etc...

Gnus

> 9. Or is it useful to start with GNU because it has more options and I have
> to learn it anyhow? and I can use it with org-mode?

It is very good if you wish to waste time. Better watch movies.

> 10. Do all of them have the same or similar keybindings or do I have to
> learn for each one separate keybindings?

Yes, they are all different.

> 11. What are the benefits compared to thunderbird?

Greatest benefit using Emacs is extensibility. But it also requires
learning Emacs Lisp. Thunderbird is also extensible, that is why there
are extensions. It is just different way of using them.

In my opinion Thunderbird is way more ergonomic, so I would only use
similar KMail or other programs, where you can use mouse and have
faster access to options. Emacs does not offer fast access to all
options, mouse usage is not enough developed in many Emacs
programs. So if you are mouse user, you will quickly get stuck with
those email programs in Emacs.

> A. Only the keybindings of Emacs I can use and in knowing them it
> will be easier in future to handle it?

That is process that may never end.

I use Mutt, so major keybindings are up, and down, with "j" "k" and
arrows, and then "r" to reply or "g" for group reply, and "y" or "q",
not much. Major issue is speed, it can speedily open up Maildir folder
and show me.

And often I bookmark e-mails, like here entry of single bookmark:

                           Name   "EIEIO for simple databases"
                      Hyperlink   "~/Maildir/michael_heerdegen@web.de"
                      Arguments   "87h7pwgbg1.fsf@web.de"

Then on single click I get to that e-mail related to EIEIO. It is one
of reasons I use Mutt.

> B. It is within emacs and uses less CPU

They don't spend CPU, but some of those e-mail programs will start
complaining when you start handling many e-mails.

-- 
Jean

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