Email Server S'ware

Hello,
Perhaps this should go to the 3rd Party Forum, but I'm so green I'll start here. I am looking for email server recommendations other than Squirrel. The top concerns are below.
1. Ease of Use
2. Low Cost
3. Mac Friendliness
4. Spam & Virus Protection
5. POP3 (& IMAP?)
6. etc.
Thanks for your input.

tym

SquirrelMail is just the web client provided by DH. It has nothing to do with how a "normal" mail client would get/send mail.

DH supports just about any client that supports POP3 or IMAP protocols (you can use both if you want, but that could get weird).

Free is good - the default apple mail client works or Thunderbird works great if you like free.

Spam and virus protection is a little bit more tricky. DH does have spam filters based on a shared installation of Spam Assassin as I understand and that information is dropped into a "spam" folder most easily managed through Squirrel (as you can whitelist people and move their email into your inbox).

Once set up almost all email clients are about as easy.

Now, other people have used other web based mail clients like Roundcube and have been very happy with them as well.

Other people just can't imagine not using gmail and have enrolled in Gmail's service that will provide the mail service for a domain through Gmail's web UI. This also comes with Gmail's totally incredible spam filtering.

Lots of options, it all comes down to what you want/like - but PLEASE don't pay for an email client until you've tried the free ones and TRIED the one you intend to pay for with your mail server.

Wholly - Use promo code WhollyMindless for discount.

Wholly,
Thanks for your response. I should have stated more clearly - I'm looking for an alternative to Squirrel to use with/on my DH hosted website, not an email client such as Mail or Thunderbird for my user machine. Does that make sense?
tym

To be more specific, are you looking for an alternate "webmail" interface to the existing DH mail servers?

Just to be clear: You never need to use squirrelmail, or any other webmail interface, at all to have full featured email service with your DreamHost account. Just use any pop3/imap client you like and ignore the squirrel all together.

--rlparker

As I mentioned, RoundCube has been successfully installed by a couple of DH users and they've been so impressed they have actually lobbied for DH to make it the default web mail client.

A couple others have tried other more complex solutions but performance has been a real problem. (I can't remember which one he was trying to run even though I was involved in the conversation. Damn memory loss!)

As I was saying Roundcube...

Oh, I said that already. (Just kidding)

Link to wiki article: http://wiki.dreamhost.com/RoundCube


Wholly - Use promo code WhollyMindless for discount.Edited by wholly on 12/17/07 09:40 PM (server time).

I've installed, and then uninstalled, several over the years on DreamHost, and don't recommend any of them.

Actually, for reliability and compatibility rather than "slick user interfaces" and such, the squirrel does a better job than most, is well supported, and serves it's purpose with a minimum of fuss and bother.

I detest webmail in most all its forms. IMO they all suck to a greater or lesser degree.

From the shell, both pine and mutt are available and work very well for those times it isn't convenient to use a client on the machine I am using.

--rlparker

Thanks for your responses.
Riparker, if I understand, you're suggesting that I can set up Thunderbird (Mail or whatever) on my machine to access my email without "seeing" SquirrelMail. But if, for instance, I'm using a PC in a client's office (or a Piggly Wiggly), won't I have to browse to my mail through Squirrel? [On the other hand, I may just be soooo dumb...]
Regards,
tym

In reply to:

---

if I understand, you're suggesting that I can set up Thunderbird (Mail or whatever) on my machine to access my email without "seeing" SquirrelMail.

---

Yes, that was what I was pointing out. I just find that it is more convenient all around.

In reply to:

---

But if, for instance, I'm using a PC in a client's office (or a Piggly Wiggly), won't I have to browse to my mail through Squirrel? [On the other hand, I may just be soooo dumb...]

---

Oh no, I didn't at all meant to imply or infer that you were dumb at all! And I do see your point about wanting access to your mail when you are away from you installed Thunderbird (or other email client).

I was trying to point out that there are other approaches for those situations that still let you avoid a "webmail" interface if you want to (which is what I do, because I really don't like webmail that much). I mean, when "stuck" with the occasional need to use webmail, the squirrel works "well enough" for me not to worry about installing something else, but I really very rarely use it.

Instead, I use the following approach:

1) When I am using my own laptop, I just install Thunderbird on it and set it up the same as on my "main" machine, with the exception that I leave all the messages on the server (I use pop3).

That way, I can always access my mail from anywhere I can get online, but the mail is always available on my DH mail server to be "popped" (and archived) when I get back to my "base" machine (which always *removes* mail from the server, unless I have set it to do otherwise, like in the case of an extended trip, or something).

I use the same procedure when checking my email using my Palm TC and VersaMail (that miserable thing!)

The result is that *all* my mail is archived on my "base", and mail I get "in the field" has a copy on my laptop, or Palm, or whatever (unless I choose to delete it from that machine).

2) If I find myself using some machine I do not own (like a client's machine, a library workstation, Internet cafe, etc), and do not have access to a properly configured email client like Thunderbird, then I connect to DreamHost with SSH and use either pine or mutt from the command line to "grab" whatever I need, again leaving the mail on the server for future "popping" to my base machine like in the first instance above.

For me, that covers 99% of my remote email needs - for the remaining 1%, I just put up with the squirrel, as it is not that often, and it "does the job" well (if not very "stylishly")

There is even another approach I have used on occasion when I was using someone else's machine, if I have access to a USB port. Then, I can just carry a "thumbdrive" (or other USB drive) with a "portable" email client on it (there are several that can be setup this way, including Thunderbird) and them just plug that into a USB port, use it to grab my mail like in the first scenario above (which stores a copoy of the email on the thumbdrive, and leaves it on the server for "future" use/retrieval).

Does that make any more sense?

--rlparker

Absolutely great response! It provides me with a good start. (Contrary to what my parents say, I may not be as dumb as I look after all.)

Thanks, again.

tym

You are welcome, and I hope some of that turns out to be useful for you!

--rlparker