Windows refugee questions...

[David B Teague]

ac wrote:
> David B Teague wrote:
>   
> <SNIP>
> Isn't Verizon a web mail, online email account? This suggests that you 
> can access your email from any machine anywhere on the internet, using 
> a web browser (such as firefox etc etc) - is this true?
>
> If so then it is likely that the process for email will be via your 
> browser of choice and its facilities. If say firefox works for you in 
> windows, it will do the same in linux for example. Your mail at 
> verizon will remain on their machines and will not be affected by your 
> machine OS.
>   
Verizon provides a "web mail" interface that is the incredibly poor. It 
makes Unix/Linux command line "mail" program look good. I use it ONLY 
when I am out of town for long enough to need to delete some messages 
before I return. I can also use Thunderbird or Outlook Express etc to 
fetch mail to my local machine. (Is this the POP protocol?) That isn't 
an option from a machine booted from a read-only CD.
>> I was fretting because in the distant past, when network access was via 
>> NIC, setup always wanted an IP number.
>>     
>
> The NIC will be automatically recognised by ubuntu (most distros in 
> fact nowadays!) and during both live CD use and the default install 
> process, DHCP will be used without any input from you at all. Just 
> have the machine and network normally connected during install etc. If 
> in the unusual case of dhcp not working I guess more manual 
> configuration would be needed. So the NIC will be configured 
> automatically with a local IP number via dhcp. BTW it is usual mostly 
> for the router device to want to be 192.168.1.1 and the PC to be 
> allocated another IP such as 192.168.1.5 say. This is not a firm 
> standard but sort of a likely convention.
>
>   
Ah Sorry. I checked again; you are of course right about the IP numbers..
>> <SNIP>
>>     
So I can expect it to "just work".

> <SNIP>
>   
>
> (see my comments above about web mail?) I wonder if I have fully 
> understood you here. Do you also use POP3 mail collection from a 
> provider also? Verizon?
>   

I'm not sure what you are asking. Here is my setup:

All I have is POP (remove messages from the server as they are downloaded)

I have Verizon ADSL, and I receive email from their mail server. I also 
receive mail from another provider, Mountain Area Information Network, 
MAIN.net. Thunderbird is set so that email is automatically downloaded 
from each provider and Thunderbird will send through either provider.

>> then I'll move email to the Linux side. I 
>> will have more questions about moving email with Thunderbird at that time.
>>     
>
> I mostly use only thunderbird  (TB) for email. In my escape phase 
> towards linux I first used TB on windows (and later also on linux with 
> the linux TB settings to not delete the mail at the server - read mail 
> first on linux, then read and delete using the usual approach in windows).
>   
This sounds like something I need to do. How do I set up Thunderbird so 
it fetches messages but doesn't remove the messages from the server?

> When I finally stopped using windows I had to copy the files (simple 
> copy) from windows to linux. I was shocked by the simplicity. 
> Directories had to chosen of course and a couple of files needed 
> special care for the directory, but it was simple.
>   
Aren't there are some details that are glossed over here? I have done 
this under Windows when I replaced a hard disk.  Isn't there is 
something you have to do in Thunderbird to actually _see_ the new 
folder? What is it? I recall stuff like having to create a folder with 
the same name in  the new Thunderbird installation as it had in the old 
installation, then overwrite the new file with the old file. I recall 
having to delete the index file. Otherwise I can't see the folder in 
Thunderbird.

But you make me think I am making this job harder for myself than I need 
to.

Warmest Regards
David Teague