Baslinux mailing list

[James Miller <jamtat AT mailsnare.net>]

On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 cce.zizkov AT volny.cz wrote:

> Please, feel free to download mutt add-on for Basiclinux at:
>
>     http://www.volny.cz/cce.zizkov/download/mutt-bl2.tgz
>
> or
>
>     http://www.volny.cz/cce.zizkov/download/mutt-bl3.tgz
<snip>
>
> 1. Installation:
>
> BL2: Untar mail-bl2.tgz to the root directory, if you want to
> install mutt to the RAM version, you have to use the /tmp directory
> and create symbolic links manually. BL3: Run 'pkg mail-bl3.tgz'  this
> installs mutt into the BasicLinux file system.

Great work on this, Christof.  Looks like it could be really helpful to BL
users.  The sentence "BL2: Untar mail-bl2.tgz to the root directory, if
you want to install mutt to the RAM version, you have to use the /tmp
directory and create symbolic links manually" is confusing, though.  If I
understand the directions correctly, the word "directory" should end one
sentence and the word "if" should begin a new one.  In other words,
should'nt this read "BL2: Untar mail-bl2.tgz to the root directory. If you
want to install mutt to the RAM version, you have to use the /tmp
directory and create symbolic links manually"?  The way you've written it,
it could be taken that you're *only* referring to a RAM drive
installation, and speaking of using 2 different directories for the
installation could only lead to confusion.  And in one case symlinking is
necessary (ramdisk install) while in the other (HD install) it's not.
So, if you're speaking first of a HD BL2 install, then separately of a way
of installing to the ramdisk version, I suggest you insert a period after
"directory" and capitalize "if" as I've done above.  If I've misunderstood
your meaning, then disregard this advice :).

Mutt is a very nice program that I was looking into some time ago.  I was
largely unable to understand how to configure it though, so I went with
Pine instead.  I do now use Mutt on occassion (on my more up-to-date
computer) as a pop mail checker - much as I think you envision using it
for deleting spam from the server.  It's sort of comparing apples and
oranges to compare Pine and Mutt: each has its strong points and
shortcomings.  Broadly speaking, Mutt is more powerful and configurable -
and probably smaller - while Pine is more user-friendly and likely larger.
Pine can do do pop mail checking, I should point out: I wrote some
directions for doing that under BL2 which Steven posted in the FAQ
(Sylpheed - the canonical BL3 email client can, too).  It can also handle
attachments using programs like catdoc and links.  Your solution has the
advantage of offering Mutt preconfigured for this though, while anyone
wanting to use Pine would have to configure this for themselves, in
addition to installing those additional programs.  Then again, I'm not
sure if the Pine version that might be compatible with BL3 has the pop
mail checking feature implemented yet: but for sure the BL2 version does.
One big drawback to Mutt for me was the fact that it can't (and never
will, according to the developers) do smtp: Pine does do smtp.  I'm
probably a sissy for admitting it, but I still have no idea how to send
email from my computer without using smtp (and am even more of a sissy for
not particularly wanting to know).  Sounds like you've got a good Mutt
solution using Pmail, though.  So, once again, thanks.  If I ever get
around to more BL stuff, I may check into how Pine installs to BL3.

James