
Ask HN: What email client do you use? - hiddentao
What email client do you use?<p>Thunderbird users, are you looking forward to Mailpile or would you rather stick with a thick desktop client like Thunderbird?
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OriginalAT
I personally just use Gmail's web interface when on my computer and the Gmail
apps when on my phone or tablet. Even when I worked for an enterprise facing
company where everyone used Outlook (and had for years) I used the Gmail web
interface/apps since the company used Google Apps.

I've just always felt that a desktop client just adds another layer where
things can go wrong.

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artificialidiot
Since apparently everyone uses nothing but gmail, I think I am in minority by
using Thunderbird consistently through years.

I use gmail, yahoo mail (through an extension), connect several pop3(I tell it
to leave messages onn server), imap servers for work (for which emails are
occasionally harvested and sold to spammers somehow..) and my own mail server
(Hey, I am a web developer. No excuse to not have a el cheapo vps with
webserver and an email servers combo), local maildir and mbox delivery for
testing crap I write, several newsgroups and a shitloads of RSS/Atom feeds. It
also has some xmpp integration of dubious usability. I also have Lightning
extension which is supposed to behave as a calendar but I am a disorganised
person and rarely check email by contemporary standard of every five minutes,
whole day. Oh, and local spam detection.

Sure I look forward to Mailpile (just checked the marketing blurb) which
promises to not show me ads and perform faster than "cloud" while offering all
the features that should exist in practice to justify calling itself an email
client. Competition is good and thunderbird is going senile by every passing
day anyway.

I hope they won't spin off their custom web server as a standalone project
too.

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stevekemp
I ssh into a remote VPS, where all my mail is delivered into ~/Maildir.

From there I read it with lumail, if I have problems I revert to mutt.

I've got webmail setup for those times when I'm travelling and cannot use ssh.

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lifeisstillgood
Ooooh this hits a sore point with me this week.

I have used gmail to date simply because I _must_ have a synched service
between laptop and mobile. So gmail was just _there_ as a IMAP/SMTP server for
the iPhone mail reader

However as pg has pointed out, and the pretty good ActiveInbox implemented
(hey ActiveInbox - apply for YC!) a mail inbox is really a task list.

And it must be linked to a contact book. All of which must be integrated at
the event level.

So which mail client I use is less of the question than how do I solve

* capturing and synching contact details, contact events, email messages and tags across all these

I have a workable solution in gmail now, but I cannot capture events on my
iPhone. Android appraently does so I will switch but its not all tied together
neatly.

I have played with mutt and goobook but frankly I can see a good couple of
weeks disappearing down this rathole. Yet it _should_ be a solved problem.
VCards, iCal, X-Headers, the solution is there. It just seems there is no RFC
we can agree on

my rant on this subject: [http://blog.mikadosoftware.com/2013/09/17/help-i-
cannot-find...](http://blog.mikadosoftware.com/2013/09/17/help-i-cannot-find-
a-contact-manager-that-manages-my-contacts/)

Edit: am I just ill-informed (!) or has there really been no successful
standardisation for "managing contact details events and tasks in a mailbox?"

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wazari972
Mainly Gmail web (and android) interfaces, because it's by far the most
intuitive and furnished client I've tested. I also use Thunderbird and Horde
for a non gmail account, but I'm far from being happy with them. Actually, I
feel more like if I'm back at stone age with them ... NB: I'm actively looking
for alternatives to gmail

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wikwocket
Thunderbird, version 3, and you'll get me to upgrade when you pry the mouse
out of my cold dead fingers.

Thunderbird was the first client I found that let me manage multiple separate
accounts through the same interface, receiving and sending mail from each in a
logical way. There's probably other ways to do that now, but I'm terrified of
upsetting a system that Just Works.™

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stevenrace
emacs + mu4e [1]

Since it's within Emacs there's great GPG support, familiar keybindings, and
less contextual shift than switching to a browser. It's also fully searchable,
usable offline, and non-blocking to other emacs operations.

[1]
[http://www.djcbsoftware.nl/code/mu/mu4e.html](http://www.djcbsoftware.nl/code/mu/mu4e.html)

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lefnire
I haven't found anyone else who uses it surprisingly, but Gmail Offline
(Chrome App). I use it when online. It has amazing keyboard shortcuts (faster
than Gmail proper), and then of course you get the perk that the data is
offline once you hit the train. Actually, I think the keyboard shortcuts might
be the only reason I use it...

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sdfjkl
Apple Mail, because it's nicely integrated, just works and there's a neat GPG
plugin. I have no use for webmail interfaces, I'd rather use mutt in a shell
than those.

Especially not Gmail, as every time I look at it, some other bullshit feature
got added and the UI got more horrible.

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auganov
Outlook. Gave up on gmail after getting more email accounts. Generally
speaking Outlook and OneNote are my two favorite Microsoft programs that I
have no viable replacement for.

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marioluigi
Thunderbird just works. Not looking for an alternative.

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jameswyse
On my mac I eventually replaced Sparrow with Airmail, it's good though can be
a little buggy at times. On my iPhone I use Mailbox

~~~
lnsignificant
I still use sparrow; love that app.

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mattbillenstein
Mutt son - Mutt.

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qwerta
Claws-Mail. I found web-based clients slow.

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bnejad
Outlook at work(no choice), k9 mail on Android, & Thunderbird on personal
computers.

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apricot13
Gmail for reading / sending email and thunderbird for backups on my mac.

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aen
Sparrow on my Mac and Mail on my iDevices. I like simple and light clients.

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itaCas
Emacs+Gnus

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webjames
I use gmail (google apps) for now, but am excited by MailPile(.is)

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hiddentao
Seems like a lot of people like the Gmail interface.

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meerita
Sparrow on my macs, and on my iPhone. Soon, when I will acquire the Nexus 5 I
don't know what to use. ¿Any recommendations?

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2close4comfort
Eudora

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dshep
mutt

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bpierre
Airmail on OS X.

