> On Sun November 17, 2013 1200pm Martin Vegter wrote: ... > I am using Debian OS and Postfix as my mail server. I was using Alpine > in the past as my email client, but now I have switched to Mutt because > of maildir support. ...
On Debian (thanks to the Debian maintainer), Mutt works "right out of the box", the only essential configuration being the things you already have done. You can made adjustments to the configuration whenever you see a need for them. Inasmuch as you have decided to use Postfix, you would do well to search for guides specific to the combination of Mutt and Postfix (search string "mutt postfix" or "mutt postfix guide"). It is vital to understand that, in Linux, mail is handled by a system. That system can be as simple as a single package, and it can be complex, consisting of many packages which interact one with another; it all depends upon your needs and preferences. The Mutt package now can be compiled to provide SMTP capability, so that no mail transfer agent (MTA) is required. But traditionally, Linux users make use of a separate MTA package such as Exim4 (currently the default for Debian), or Postfix, or even Sendmail. And though Mutt can fetch mail from the POP3 server at your Internet service provider (ISP), I prefer to use the package getmail4 to fetch mail; the package fetchmail also is popular. I utilize the package maildrop to sort mail by category and deliver to a set of maildirs; this necessitates that each maildir be defined not only in the maildrop configuration file ".mailfilter" but also by a "mailboxes" entry in the Mutt configuration file ".muttrc". But you can sort mail as you read it in Mutt, using the SAVE and COPY commands, and (as previously mentioned) Mutt automatically creates for you a new mailbox (maildir or mbox or whatever you are using) if the mailbox you specify does not exist. I currently am configuring the mail system here to utilize the package bmf, which is an adaptive filter designed to sort mail into two categories (such as "ham" and "spam", or "good" and "evil", or "personal" and "business"), using the Bayesian algorithm. The important thing is to get something running and become familiar with the Mutt commands routinely used to read, delete, save, and write messages. Changes to the system always can be made without damage to your cache of old messages. > It is not easy for a complete beginner to get all the information from > the manual. Sometimes I have the feeling, the manuals are written for > the people who already understand it (and by the people who understand > it, obviously). Yes. That is because the primary function of a manual is to serve as an authoritative reference. But with a little searching, you can turn up any number of short HOWTO articles and a number of comprehensive guides (such as "My First Mutt") which lead you through the maze by the hand, for whatever combination of packages you employ. In this, the search engine is invaluable. At first, the time required to configure the mail system may seem excessive and a wasteful expenditure. But once you are running, it should be evident to you that with Mutt you can process messages much faster than you can process them with any other mail user agent (MUA), so the payback is almost immediate. In terms of user efficiency, the only MUA which is competitive to Mutt is Gnus. (I view Gnus as almost a religion; it is a marvelous and rewarding system, but it has a steep learning curve.) RLH
