Re: [gentoo-user] Anyone here use Proton email service?

[Michael <confabulate@kintzios.com>]

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On Thursday 3 October 2024 10:37:44 BST Dale wrote:
> Michael wrote:
> > On Thursday 3 October 2024 05:30:58 BST Dale wrote:
> >> Wol wrote:
> >>> On 02/10/2024 19:47, Dale wrote:
> >>>> Well, I'm not really wanting to do my own email server.  In a way,
> >>>> I'd like to have it so that everything is fetched, stored on my
> >>>> system and then I can use any email software I want, Seamonkey,
> >>>> Thunderbird, Mutt, Kmail or whatever, without losing a single email.
> >>>> Thing is, even that sounds like more than I care to chew on.  If
> >>>> someone would share configs, editing private info of course, and I
> >>>> could just drop those in and edit with my private info, I might
> >>>> consider it.  Thing is, I'm nervous about doing even that.  Be my
> >>>> luck, I'd screw up something and delete every email I've ever got.
> >>>> 
> >>>> :/   It would be nice tho to have a program fetch my emails and then
> >>>> 
> >>>> I can switch email software anytime without losing anything at all.
> >>> 
> >>> This is my setup.
> >>> 
> >>> I think I've talked about this before, but just emerge and set up
> >>> dovecot.
> >>> 
> >>> Make sure you set everything up in the local config file - look at the
> >>> global file that comes with dovecot, and at the end you'll see a
> >>> pointer to a non-existent local file. Set that up, and then make sure
> >>> your email client can see it. Move a couple of emails across and make
> >>> sure they're safe in dovecot.
> >>> 
> >>> Then you just set up a rule on your internet provider's inbox, that
> >>> moves emails across to dovecot, and everything is local on your
> >>> system. Obviously, they'll stay on the internet provider's setup until
> >>> they expire, but they're on your system, they can be backed up, and
> >>> they'll not be on the internet to be mined or broken into or whatever
> >>> for long.
> >>> 
> >>> Cheers,
> >>> Wol
> >> 
> >> I think we tried this and I couldn't get it to work and gave up on it.
> >> It's been a while back tho.  From my understanding, it is supposed to be
> >> simple but simple doesn't always mean I can do it.  LOL  Email providers
> >> always changing things doesn't help either.
> >> 
> >> Would this also work if I moved to Proton or something similar?
> >> 
> >> Dale
> >> 
> >> :-)  :-)
> > 
> > Do you need to have a local email storage *in addition* to the desktop
> > email client downloading and storing your messages, if you are going to
> > pay for a service provider to do the same thing for you?  If yes, then
> > dovecot is a good option - there's a page on the wiki with configuration
> > details.
> 
> Someone mentioned that I could use IMAP(???) or something so that it is
> only stored on my local email server.

IMAP4 is a more modern protocol for accessing your messages on a mail server 
than the older POP3 protocol.  Dovecot can be configured to be accessible over 
either protocol.

You can think of Dovecot as duplicating the function of the Gmail server, with 
the main difference being Dovecot will be storing your messages on your local 
PC, so you can access these with your email client(s) of choice.

However, you can access the Gmail server over IMAP4 with your email client(s) 
of choice singularly and in parallel, so there is no difference in this 
respect.


> Also, I figure I could set it to
> delete after a few days or a week from the email provider.  

Usually this is a POP3 setting.  Instead of deleting a message from the server 
once it is downloaded by your client, you can configure it to delete the 
downloaded message with some delay.  With IMAP4 you have to delete the 
messages from the server yourself and such deletion will be mirrored on your 
local storage too.  Deleted message will be gone, unless you have copied/
archived such messages to a local folder first.

Think of IMAP4 and its associated MAILDIR folders storage structure as being 
similar to using a file manager (e.g. Dolphin).


> Then I only
> have the local copy with Dovecot or whatever.  This would seem to be the
> easiest way to use any mail program I want.  I really need to switch
> from Seamonkey.

Ah!  This a new requirement.  We started from I don't like Google snooping 
through my messages, to arrive at I am looking for a different email desktop 
client.


> Seamonkey is getting to where it isn't good for much
> else.  The email is about the only thing that works right.  If I set
> this up to be local, Proton or some other email provider, then it won't
> matter what email program I use and hopefully what provider I use either. 

You can install/configure/test any other email desktop client to use IMAP4 to 
read your messages on Gmail as a start, until you settle on the desktop client 
of choice for you.  Then consider what email service provider suits your needs 
as a separate step, depending on features and price.


> If I'm going to change, I may as well change in a way that gives me some
> options, especially with switching from Seamonkey.  So far, I don't like
> other email software.  They all lack something or other. 
> 
> I'll look into the wiki page.  I can't recall what wouldn't work
> before.  I just know I started it but never finished it. 
> 
> Dale
> 
> :-)  :-) 

You can migrate all your messages from one mail server (e.g. Gmail) to another 
using IMAP4 with your desktop client of choice.  Configure both old and new 
server accounts to be accessed over IMAP4 on your desktop client and then drag 
and drop from the old account's Inbox/Sent/etc. folder to the corresponding 
new email service account folder, without the need to use a 3rd local mail 
server (e.g. Dovecot) as an intermediary.  Just copy a few messages at a time 
to avoid either server throttling your access.

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