$ apt-get install mutt msmtp
-Configure
-=========
+Single IMAP account
+===================
You configure Mutt with the file `~/.muttrc`. To set it up with the
Drexel email system, I looked up the server addresses, and created the
There's list of basic shortcuts across the top of the Mutt screen.
Most importantly, `?:Help`, which will give a list of all the current
-shortcuts.
+shortcuts. An excellent tutorial page is [my first mutt][mfm].
-Tutorial
-========
-
-An excellent tutorial page is [my first mutt][mfm].
-
-Multiple accounts
-=================
+Multiple IMAP accounts
+======================
I finally had some time to play around and get Drexel mail and Gmail
working at the same time. The basic setup is the same as above, using
user <drexel-username>
password <drexel-password>
tls on
- #tls_trust_file /etc/ssl/certs/ca-certificates.crt
- tls_trust_file /etc/pki/tls/cert.pem
+ tls_trust_file /etc/ssl/certs/ca-certificates.crt
+ #tls_trust_file /etc/pki/tls/cert.pem
account gmail
host smtp.gmail.com
`<drexel-from-address>` can be the same as `<drexel-username>`, but
you can use any address you've set up as an alias.
`<gmail-from-address>@gmail.com` is your full gmail email address. The
-`tls_trust_file` line depends on your distribution. For Debian-based
-distributions, use the `ca-certificates.crt` line; and for Red
-Hat-based distributions, use the `cert.pem` line. I don't know where
-the certificate information is stored for other distributions, but
-googling about should find it.
+`tls_trust_file` line depends on your distribution. For Gentoo and
+Debian-based distributions, use the `ca-certificates.crt` line; and
+for Red Hat-based distributions, use the `cert.pem` line. I don't
+know where the certificate information is stored for other
+distributions, but googling about should find it.
-Then configure mutt with
+Configure mutt with
# ~/.muttrc
set use_from=yes # required so msmtp knows which account to use to send mails
-This sets up your two mailboxes (drexel and gmail) where you can
-recieve mail. It also sets up methods for switching between the two
+This sets up your two mailboxes (`drexel` and `gmail`) where you can
+receive mail. It also sets up methods for switching between the two
accounts. To ease in configuring the two accounts, we split most of
the configuration details into `~/.mutt/common`, `~/.mutt/drexel`, and
`~/.mutt/gmail`. Sourcing common brings in some configuration
The specific configuration files are:
-The common configuration (these are all optional).
+The common configuration (these are all optional):
#~/.mutt/common
set realname="<your-realname>"
- set move=no # stop asking to "move read messages to mbox"
+ set move=no # stop asking to "move read messages to mbox"
set mail_check=600 # check for new mail every 10 minutes when user is active
- set timeout=600 # check for new mail every 10 minutes when user is not active
+ set timeout=600 # check for new mail every 10 minutes when user is not active
set editor="/usr/bin/emacs -nw" # use emacs as the editor
set edit_headers # editable headers
-The Drexel setup
+The Drexel setup:
#~/.mutt/drexel
# Drexel information
set from="<drexel-from-address>@drexel.edu"
-And the Gmail setup
+The Gmail setup:
# Gmail information
your Drexel account, and the second lists all of your available
accounts (mailboxes).
-Strangely (I haven't figured out why yet), `c TAB` from gmail also
+Strangely (I haven't figured out why yet), `c TAB` from `gmail` also
lists the *drexel* directories. No problem though, you can get a list
-of gmail directories with `c +TAB TAB TAB` from gmail (I also don't
+of gmail directories with `c +TAB TAB TAB` from `gmail` (I also don't
understand what the second `TAB` does).
Anyhow, that should get people started.
pub 1024D/0xFC29BDCDF15F5BE8 2008-08-09 [expires: 2009-08-09]
…
-Where `0xFC29BDCDF15F5BE8` is my long key ID (I don't understand the
-difference between the long and short keys, but I figure the longer
-one must be more specific, and since I only have to enter it once for
-Mutt, I chose the longer key.)
+Where `0xFC29BDCDF15F5BE8` is my long key ID (long IDs are short IDs
+prefixed with additional fingerprint information). I use the long ID
+here because it is more specific and I only have to enter it once for
+Mutt.
-Then, tell Mutt how to use `gpg`, adding
+Tell Mutt how to use `gpg` by adding
source ~/.mutt/pgp
Browsing email with links
=========================
-Usually mutt is pretty good about handling HTML in emails. When you
+Usually Mutt is pretty good about handling HTML in emails. When you
get emails that are obviously HTML, `v` will take you to the
attachment list (which should show the email as type `text/html`), and
-enter will open the email in your browser ([[w3m]], right?).
+enter will open the email in your browser (via [[mailcap]]).
Sometimes you get `text/plain` emails with URLs in them, or maybe the
above procedure just isn't working. In that case, add
somewhere in your mutt configuration files (thank you, [Bruno
Postle][links]). Then pressing `Ctrl-b` will pipe the email you're
-looking at into w3m. Pressing `:` in w3m will scan the document for
-URL-like strings and make them browsable.
+looking at into [w3m][]. Pressing `:` in w3m will scan the document
+for URL-like strings and make them browsable.
Folder size in status bar
=========================
[GnuPG]: http://www.gnupg.org/
[compose-view-p]: http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/security/?p=413
[links]: http://mutt.blackfish.org.uk/following-links/
+[w3m]: http://w3m.sourceforge.net/
[[!tag tags/tools]]