Web Mail Behavior

[iseeuu]

Before RoundCube was added, I researched it with the intention of adding it to my hosts server space for my use (not as a feature offered to the public). I thought I understood RoundCube would function like Thunderbird or Outlook Express only with a web based front end that could be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection. I looked around at the three web mail choices but they all look like I would need to log in to each of my many email boxes one at a time. I'm not going to do that. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who is using web mail and if they can access all their mail accounts with one log in.

Also, I am quite disappointed and annoyed that it is impossible to forward "catchall" mail to a single account. Arrgh.

:})

[syownet]

You can setup a catchall address, just go into the Email Manager, create a new mailbox, and tick the 'catchall' box.

Cheers,
Leigh

[Milen]

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who is using web mail and if they can access all their mail accounts with one log in.

I have never encountered a webmail application that would allow you to check multiple email accounts at the same time and in the same browser window/tab.

Also, I am quite disappointed and annoyed that it is impossible to forward "catchall" mail to a single account.

I think you misunderstand the purpose of a catchall email account. A catchall email account collects all email directed at a specific domain name that does not have a valid recipient. For example, if the email something@domain.com exists, messages sent to this email would not be collected in the catchall mailbox, but will be delivered to the relevant mailbox instead. While, if the email address somethingelse@domain.com is not defined, anything sent to this address (and any other non-existent mail address at this domain) would be collected in the catchall mailbox, if it were enabled. The purpose of the catchall account is to allow domain owners to receive all mail sent to their domains, even if the sender has misspelled the email address and the message would otherwise be discarded by the mailserver, if the catchall account were not enabled. In reality, however, over 99% of the email caught by the catchall email accounts is spam that is often sent at popular or randomly generated email addresses for registered domains.

[iseeuu]

I think you misunderstand the purpose of a catchall email account.

Milen;

Thank you for taking time to respond to my post. As I had not expected any response to my statement I did not add any of the details. I do appreciate your helpfulness.

Originally I had planned to leave two of the three domains at my previous host and use their masking and forwarding features much the same way I had used them when they hosted my web site. But their mail server refused to forward mail to the domain name I had transfered here. I ended up transferring all three domains here just so I could continue receiving my business email.

For those who encounter a similar situation, a simpler fix would have been to create a new domain name in my new host, any name would do, so my previous host could forward mail to the new domain name and I could forward mail from the new domain to the domain I transfered here. Simple.

In order to save legitimate email with typos and such, I created a catchall email account for each domain name. It would be nice to be able to funnel such email to a single account. My solution was to create three separate email accounts in my email client (Thunderbird) and send the mail to a single email folder. This gives me the chance to look at the email before it is deleted.

I have never encountered a webmail application that would allow you to check multiple email accounts at the same time and in the same browser window/tab.

I have not encountered such a webmail application either, that got me to thinking. Last year I built two debian based servers to experiment with. The application "Webmin" intrigued me with its web type access to the applications on the server. Would it be possible to access a open source Thunderbird like mail client as a web page?

One of my servers uses Thunderbird to pop an assortment of email accounts and store the messages for later reference. I use "Ultra VNC" to read my mail from any computer on my home network. There is a distracting delay using this method. I imagine a web type access wouldn't have this distraction. It appears that no one else considers such a feature to be desirable. I definitely do not have the programing skills to write such a program, but I am going to investigate whether it would be possible to add an open source web front end (like RoundCube) to an open source mail client (like Thunderbird). I would find it personally useful to continue to use pop mail at home and access it from any networked computer. I find moving Outlook Express or Thunderbird every time I upgrade my computer to be an ordeal I would rather avoid.

[Milen]

Would it be possible to access a open source Thunderbird like mail client as a web page?

I have no idea whether this is possible, but I have not seen it done anywhere.

One of my servers uses Thunderbird to pop an assortment of email accounts and store the messages for later reference. I use "Ultra VNC" to read my mail from any computer on my home network. There is a distracting delay using this method.

Have you considered configuring separate mail accounts on all computers you use through Thunderbird or Outlook using IMAP instead of POP3, this way all email would be kept on the server of the service provider, instead of downloaded locally and you would be able to access it from any computer, on which you have configured the respective email account through a mail client that you have chosen? Granted it may require some time to configure, especially if you have a number of email accounts and a number of computers, but once done you would be able to access your email account from all the computers you use. This solution works fine for me and I use five computers (some of which have more than one OS, which requires yet another mail client configuration) and have about a dozen of email accounts (including both personal and work-related).

I would find it personally useful to continue to use pop mail at home and access it from any networked computer. I find moving Outlook Express or Thunderbird every time I upgrade my computer to be an ordeal I would rather avoid.

Another solution that I would propose is to use a USB flash stick with a portable email client like Mozilla Thunderbird, Portable Edition from PortableApps.com. This way you could configure all your email accounts through the portable mail client and have access to them through any Windows-based PC, you plug the USB flash stick into (if the flash stick is large enough, you could even use POP3 and store all your email messages on it, just do not forget to back them up frequently). Of course, this solution would not be possible in some corporate environments where the use of USB flash sticks is forbidden by corporate security policy and/or access to the USB ports on the corporate computers is blocked.

[iseeuu]

using IMAP instead of POP3, *snip* use a USB flash stick

The USB drive is definitely a workable solution, one I hadn't considered. IMAP vs POP, in my opinion, IMAP's advantage is also its disadvantage. Allowing the mail server to save and store read email and making it available from numerous computers is a nice feature. By disadvantage I mean I have issues with the cable company because Internet can go down at any time for any length of time making IMAP mail unavailable. Also, places like Google and Yahoo claim my saved mail as their property to be used any way they choose. A third consideration is whether you trust the backup plan of the mail server if and when it crashes.

POP mail allows me to save and backup my own mail with no issues with access. Of course my computer could also crash but I have have no one else to blame if I don't make backups. Then there is the ordeal of moving all that saved mail to a new computer. I find IMAP vs POP a tough choice to make.