Am Looking for own usage Free (pref OpenSouce) Email Account -user friendly- (simple personal email basicly)

[TetraG]

I may need a little advice on choices available, apart from obvious ones like Thunderbird (which maybe overkill for what I want?), but feel free to comment on that too if you want, AND any decent Personal Email Alternatives...?

 

I can kick things off by what seems to be a good find here, and believe me, I've been looking hard at what's out there in the last 3 days in particular.. (for my & indeed  if you choose, your own personal use)

 

https://www.claws-mail.org (FREE - It is mostly desktop-independent, as the team there say in their intro for the product, but should that matter at all -?? - I am uncertain I guess)

[Although..] it was founded in 2001, I am glad to say

this has had an update last in early April 2022, so I am pleased about that........ Looks like it ticks all the right boxes, being lightweight, user-friendly, and not a pain in your backside (it seems to me by what I can see at a glance) 

 

https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/SPAMASSASSIN/Home  << Claws Mail takes advantage of being able to use this SPAM ASSASSIN OpenS Plugin!

Hopefully its a goer.... Still looks to be updated too! =) (and is widely used apparently by what I read on SpamA_ homepage.

 

 

Any other suggestions one can offer to entertain as possible NICE CAPABALE but rather basic(?) EMAIL CLIENT candidates please?
I really just need a basic email setup ASAP but at the same time I don't just want to sign up to any old main stream crap, so this I have long wanted to explore better, is why I am looking in OpenSource software, [EMAIL this time] and to actually be [HAPPY] using it!.. (and to hell with Corp Owned Platforms -&- all which those greedy bleeders have to offer) 

 

-------------

 

Seperately:

For something bigger at getting all your email managing needs met, I have found "MailTrim" is a good choice by what I see on Sourceforge.net
 

 

Edited August 15, 2022 by TetraG

[Bombadil]

This topic has been temporarily pinned. It’s probably good info for members to learn. For those that are unsure.

[webtrekker]

Typed this out earlier but forgot to submit it!

 

I've used Thunderbird for years now and wouldn't want to change. It's straightforward enough to set up as many email accounts as you need and, while it has many useful features, I don't really consider it 'overkill.' You use only what you want, but it's nice to know the other features are there if you ever need them, instead of having to upgrade to another email client.

[TetraG]

OK, Webtrekker, cool, I was hoping that, so I haven't ruled out Thunderbird yet.... The size of the thing is reasonable to run too is it?? (despite all the features it has on board that you could potentially use if wanted)

 

btw, I want mainly to check email on my Laptop, or standard PC, not currently using my mobile to check email.

Edited August 15, 2022 by TetraG

[TetraG]

Back to Claws Mail a moment:

 

https://sourceforge.net/software/product/Claws-Mail/integrations/

 

it is worth knowing one of Claws Mail ^^integrations^^ (or "integratables" I would rather say) is in fact DISROOT.org (which I talk about introducing over in the Big Tech Alternative thread)  DISROOT appears to offer encrypted email (FREE afaik). Of that I am sure, and this Claws maybe the software used. (or else COULD for sure be used if desired within Disroot if the webmasters wanted by what I've seen on SF)

 

------------

HOWEVER, this too is also worth noting, this POSSIBLE? caution over RAINLOOP EMAIL below, although why when it is O-source I dunno. I guess just because something is OpenSource, doesn't automatically make it dependable or secure huh?

https://sourceforge.net/software/product/Disroot/#reviews

 

Funny that reviewer should say this though as neither the RainLoop page on SF nor the Disroot page, states integrate with RainLoop Email apparently. (Nor vice verse) hmmmm.

Quote

SOURCEFORGE USER  COMMENT;

 

"Alternative to Gmail"

Posted 2022-02-21 

Pros: Disroot is one of the many e-mail providers to provide IMAP or POP, while others like ProtonMail don't allow.

Cons: Web client based on RainLoop, not a great fit for a privacy respecting e-mail.

Overall: Disroot is pretty solid, supports PGP, IMAP/POP so you can use Thunderbird or K-9 Mail for accessing.

 

 

Edited August 15, 2022 by TetraG

[webtrekker]

16 minutes ago, TetraG said:

Back to Claws Mail a moment:

 

https://sourceforge.net/software/product/Claws-Mail/integrations/

 

it is worth knowing one of Claws Mail ^^integrations^^ (or "integratables" I would rather say) is in fact DISROOT.org (which I talk about introducing over in the Big Tech Alternative thread)  DISROOT appears to offer encrypted email (FREE afaik). Of that I am sure, and this Claws maybe the software used.

 

You can turn on encryption in T/Bird ...

 

Is Thunderbird end-to-end encrypted?

 

The configuration section can be found in Thunderbird's account setting, in the End-to-end encryption tab. Once you have a personal key configured, you can control the use of encryption or digital signing in individual message that you send.

 

Be wary using encryption though. If you only encrypt messages that you deem worthy of encryption then hackers will easily be able to pick out your important emails from the rest in the list and give them extra attention. The best way around this would be to encrypt them all, but that's not really an option if unless you are dealing with a handful of trustworthy friends and acquaintances that have the keys.

 

 

 

[TetraG]

Very Good point^^^ Webtrekker.

 

For my basic other understanding though... (this is in addition...)

How the devils does such work for receiving encrypted *strangers* whether or not they are using encrypted messages too? Is that what's critical to know? How can that occur? unless the answer is simply it cannot unless other party is using same software or encryption type as you/we?

 

Surely if this all works the way I think it does, only friends have your encryption keys as I think u suggested in a way?

[webtrekker]

1 hour ago, TetraG said:

Very Good point^^^ Webtrekker.

 

For my basic other understanding though... (this is in addition...)

How the devils does such work for receiving encrypted *strangers* whether or not they are using encrypted messages too? Is that what's critical to know? How can that occur? unless the answer is simply it cannot unless other party is using same software or encryption type as you/we?

 

Surely if this all works the way I think it does, only friends have your encryption keys as I think u suggested in a way?

 

This is probably the reason why a lot of stuff isn't encrypted.

 

Our family pas a lot of messages to each other by Viber, which uses end-to-end encryption, but there's no problem with that because we're all using the same app and have all been verified.

 

However, emails can end up on any email client usually unknown to the sender, so unless you have pre-arranged keys the messages will just appear as gobbledygook. This is no good for businesses and they tend not to use encryption. 

 

Also, if you have to decide which messages to encypt and which to send in plain, then it becomes a bit of a chore and that's why many government emails have been intercepted and leaked. They're just too lazy or too ignorant (probably both!).

 

 

[Grumpy Owl]

9 hours ago, TetraG said:

I may need a little advice on choices available, apart from obvious ones like Thunderbird (which maybe overkill for what I want?), but feel free to comment on that too if you want, AND any decent Personal Email Alternatives...?

 

For starters, understand the difference between 'client' and 'service'.

 

Unless things have changed in recent years since I last used it, Mozilla's Thunderbird is an email 'client' program, much in the same way as you would use Microsoft Outlook or Windows Mail on your PC.

 

To use such client programs, you still need an email 'account'. This can of course be an account you create with any service provider, be it Gmail, Hotmail/Outlook.com, Yahoo, Protonmail etc.

 

Many of these email service providers offer users 'free' accounts, which for many people is 'great', but there are hidden caveats - ie if you use the website to view your emails you're often 'delivered' advertising in between your emails, also the question of 'how secure are your emails' if they can be monitored or 'spied-upon' by these services.

 

Anything that is advertised as "free" usually comes at some other hidden cost.

 

If you truly want something that is 'personal' and for your own use only, my advice would be to buy yourself a domain name and sign up for some personal webhosting account. You don't need to spend a fortune, many webhosts will offer 'basic' packages from as little as a couple of quid a month.

 

And most webhosts will include anti-spam software such as SpamAssasin.

 

It may not be completely 'private' but you have your own domain name and your own email address, and you are fully in control and not beholden to anyone else's T&Cs.

[webtrekker]

4 hours ago, Grumpy Owl said:

If you truly want something that is 'personal' and for your own use only, my advice would be to buy yourself a domain name and sign up for some personal webhosting account. You don't need to spend a fortune, many webhosts will offer 'basic' packages from as little as a couple of quid a month.

 

That's good advice, however, I've got web accounts such as hotmail and gmail that I have been using for years and yes, they do have advertising on the site, but it's never appeared in Thunderbird on any of my accounts.

 

I do agree with paying for some decent hosting and setting up an email account with them. I have paid  hosting anyway, that I use for anything from uploading movies for the grandkids to watch, to ecommerce sites, to hosting my own code, mainly for web apps that are experimental, or to help my daughter run her shop more efficiently eg. label designers, gift card manager, (for which I sublimation print her gift cards with unique barcodes which can be scanned into a mySQL database, etc I'm sure you will understand what I'm talking about Grumpy Owl!). As I'm already paying for the hosting, it makes sense to also have email accounts which are protected, as Grumpy Owl has said, by the likes of SpamAssassin.

 

 

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by webtrekker

[Grumpy Owl]

18 hours ago, webtrekker said:

I do agree with paying for some decent hosting and setting up an email account with them. I have paid  hosting anyway, that I use for anything from uploading movies for the grandkids to watch, to ecommerce sites, to hosting my own code, mainly for web apps that are experimental, or to help my daughter run her shop more efficiently eg. label designers, gift card manager, (for which I sublimation print her gift cards with unique barcodes which can be scanned into a mySQL database, etc I'm sure you will understand what I'm talking about Grumpy Owl!). As I'm already paying for the hosting, it makes sense to also have email accounts which are protected, as Grumpy Owl has said, by the likes of SpamAssassin.

 

Yes, I have a decent hosting account which I use personally for some other projects and my own personal use, not counting the cost of registering domain names, it works out to about £6 a month, though I paid upfront for three years service, so probably less than that.

 

I use that same account for my own GrumpyOwl website, and I can set up as many email accounts as I want under that domain name, or any others that I own.

 

I'm not beholden to any Gmail / Hotmail / Yahoo etc terms and conditions, and there is only really a very tiny risk that the hosting provider could terminate my hosting account, as I don't really draw a lot of attraction to my sites.

[webtrekker]

Out of likes Grumpy Owl so Ill post my own.

 

 

 

[TetraG]

@GrumpyOwl, @webtrekker, and anyone frozen in their communications like me, which could portend to me being somewhat technically challenged as is sort of true the deeper I get into things, and certainly I am not as up on things as you two have the knowhow for, lol...

Soooooo yes I would love to be nonchalantly clever in all regards (lol), and succeeding quickly but just because I've liked Open Source in a long time, it doesn't mean I am ahead of the game YET in ya know getting that fixed up etc....

 

Sooooo..... anyway......

Although I've liked what's been said by posters exploring some options, unsurprisingly for me really as a tech undergrad (sts) I am kinda befuddled a little over what the dynamics are, in finding out whats available thats good to go, or which mayeth need a bit of fiddling (hence I can be befuddled sometimes MAINLY AROUND TECH ISSUES OF VARIOUS KINDS - NOTHING SPECIFICLY TO MENTION YET, BUT SINCE IT'S TO BE EXPECTED PROBABLY, I could do that and when ready or needy I will POST anything like when asking about a problem.... Forseen or not..... (AS & WHEN i STUMBLE OVER SOMETHING), such as about SAY what's needed in this or that regard, and basicly avoiding pitfalls where possible, etc etc etc.... 

 

Such as that I apply too about *whether to self domain or not* included in that mental maelstrom of ya know decision making (how much effing effort is involved) LOL, and just generally in relation to both tech and business side of things but maybe with a bit of focus hopefully when understood and decided about can offer the kind of functionality I'm going for w/o being a corp shoe-licker... which when once one has found and understood what one wants and all, then its all happy days then... .

Let me just add, I've never had to set up my own domain before see, so anything new like that is like OMG a touch....

And before I even get into that as I've found out just looking around at OpenSource eMail options and programs, and plugins, like on SourceForge or GitHub, etc....well it can all get a bit much quite quickly....

 

Still if my willingness to plod on with any of that wanes, I will just use Thunderbird, which being shy of trying new things I've never used before I am late in doing so (so late I am almost dead late), but since Thunderbird seems ready to go already & exists preinstalled on my Sindows, sorry Windows, I guess I'll yeah, give that a try in that event (& sooner the better) as I literally have ZERO email accounts currently.....

Edited August 16, 2022 by TetraG

[TetraG]

Oooooooooh wow, only just found this.....

A must Copy & Save for ALL.....soooooo check out EW's extensive alternative list as follows for Great Alternative Resources....posted Posted August 18, 2021...

I was searching "Thunderbird" on DI forums right here , and look what came up...... Go See it EVERYONE !!!! >>

 

https://forum.davidicke.com/index.php?/topic/5605-a-new-tech-thread/page/34/#comment-316700

 

 

Edited August 17, 2022 by TetraG

[sock muppet]

On 8/15/2022 at 1:23 PM, webtrekker said:

 

You can turn on encryption in T/Bird ...

 

Is Thunderbird end-to-end encrypted?

 

The configuration section can be found in Thunderbird's account setting, in the End-to-end encryption tab. Once you have a personal key configured, you can control the use of encryption or digital signing in individual message that you send.

 

Be wary using encryption though. If you only encrypt messages that you deem worthy of encryption then hackers will easily be able to pick out your important emails from the rest in the list and give them extra attention. The best way around this would be to encrypt them all, but that's not really an option if unless you are dealing with a handful of trustworthy friends and acquaintances that have the keys.

 

 

 

 

Just for the heads up, email transport is not currently encrypted end to end, that is to say that your email can be made to use TLS encryption but as of now there is no guarantee for it to traverse the net in an encrypted state, the problem is being worked on but email is different from web servers, currently when you connect to a web server using a browser the encryption is via a handshake to encrypt the data before it is transmitted across the net, email differs where the trip across the net may encounter a route that does not honour the convention of encryption asked for in its header and then drops this state and sends the email unencrypted to the destination, this is the preferred method of delivery as it is required that the information must reach the destination is more important than dropping the email due to conventions in use not honouring the request for TLS encryption when forwarded on, if you think about it email is the preferred method to exchange information between two or more parties as the sender can be verified and thus proven to be valid.

 

Most if not all the big names out there do honour this feature but it can not be relied upon for the whole route taken, very important to take this into account and decide accordingly how you wish to mitigate against this feature, and it is a feature, therefore sensitive information should encrypt the email at source before it is sent and a method of decryption is agreed upon at the receivers end.

Never send sensitive information by email without first assessing the risk.

[webtrekker]

19 hours ago, TetraG said:

@GrumpyOwl, @webtrekker, and anyone frozen in their communications like me, which could portend to me being somewhat technically challenged as is sort of true the deeper I get into things, and certainly I am not as up on things as you two have the knowhow for, lol...

Soooooo yes I would love to be nonchalantly clever in all regards (lol), and succeeding quickly but just because I've liked Open Source in a long time, it doesn't mean I am ahead of the game YET in ya know getting that fixed up etc....

 

Sooooo..... anyway......

Although I've liked what's been said by posters exploring some options, unsurprisingly for me really as a tech undergrad (sts) I am kinda befuddled a little over what the dynamics are, in finding out whats available thats good to go, or which mayeth need a bit of fiddling (hence I can be befuddled sometimes MAINLY AROUND TECH ISSUES OF VARIOUS KINDS - NOTHING SPECIFICLY TO MENTION YET, BUT SINCE IT'S TO BE EXPECTED PROBABLY, I could do that and when ready or needy I will POST anything like when asking about a problem.... Forseen or not..... (AS & WHEN i STUMBLE OVER SOMETHING), such as about SAY what's needed in this or that regard, and basicly avoiding pitfalls where possible, etc etc etc.... 

 

Such as that I apply too about *whether to self domain or not* included in that mental maelstrom of ya know decision making (how much effing effort is involved) LOL, and just generally in relation to both tech and business side of things but maybe with a bit of focus hopefully when understood and decided about can offer the kind of functionality I'm going for w/o being a corp shoe-licker... which when once one has found and understood what one wants and all, then its all happy days then... .

Let me just add, I've never had to set up my own domain before see, so anything new like that is like OMG a touch....

And before I even get into that as I've found out just looking around at OpenSource eMail options and programs, and plugins, like on SourceForge or GitHub, etc....well it can all get a bit much quite quickly....

 

Still if my willingness to plod on with any of that wanes, I will just use Thunderbird, which being shy of trying new things I've never used before I am late in doing so (so late I am almost dead late), but since Thunderbird seems ready to go already & exists preinstalled on my Sindows, sorry Windows, I guess I'll yeah, give that a try in that event (& sooner the better) as I literally have ZERO email accounts currently.....

 

Hi TG. Just be aware that Thunderbird is an email client, as has been previously pointed out. You need to have an existing email account in order to use it. You thent set Thunderbird to point to your account using the account's settings. You can set up any number of pre-existing accounts in Thunderbird, thus allowing you to access all of your email accounts in one place.

 

 

 

[TetraG]

Got it, okay WebT. I was unsure, so I am glad you have clarified.

[TetraG]

1 hour ago, sock muppet said:

if you think about it email is the preferred method to exchange information between two or more parties as the sender can be verified and thus proven to be valid.

 

These maybe rather different matters individually as I now probe a little as follows, but hope you get what I'm trying to say overall, hehe.....

1.  

Does what you describe as the process such as "servers OR THING dropping out said encryption" (and perhaps dependent on the encryption type would it be??), does any of that undermine a persons attempt whether with or without that secure standpoint of going encrypted or not as the aim?....... PLUS EMAIL USAGE GENERALLY are from what you describe= are from the getgo never going to operate in the same way as say a BROWSER connects to the web (web-server) , but anyhow it seems from what you say by almost any accord and method used, (ie, incl the risks? et all) - nothing is safe even when encrypted, NOT end to end everytime, or did I not follow that at all well? -- I am not too well versed as per tech denominations etc apart from general observations and IT iterations etc, TLS and PHP and other) but I read you ok I hope. 

Most importantly=== Can we know without needing super tech skills when something failed to be as the intended END to END encryption?

 

     2.

So howabout then another type of threat, does encryption going off kilter for example leave any room for programs to mess with our perception to add more trouble as follows for individuals sending emails with this as an example, to play and make mockery of that, like this which although may have been invented for fun, (this sort of dubious by design thing) - can  quite clearly cause mischief or deception, so where do we stand there if we still want to verify somebody where someone is not whom we think they are?? Especially realizing this is called "PHP Fake Email" >> https://sourceforge.net/projects/phpfakemail/ < just using as example of a program gimmick I guess, ((NOT SAYING SourceForge is the stinker))

 

I guess just look deep at the send details of an email (webmail included) if really that worried huh? Like inspect elements in Windows or whatever thing we have as the means for that??.... Would such as that help to discern whom a deliberately fake sender name was really from? Certainly I guess it would give some clues I suppose? Or no?

Edited August 17, 2022 by TetraG

[sock muppet]

33 minutes ago, TetraG said:

 

Does what you describe as the process (and perhaps dependent on the encryption type??), about being encrypted AND EMAIL generally, (& the risks? et all) -does it leave any room for programs to play and make mockery of that, like this which although may have been invented for fun, can of this sort of thing - quite clearly cause mischief or deception, so where do we stand there if we still want to verify somebody where someone is not whom we think they are?? >> https://sourceforge.net/projects/phpfakemail/ 

 

I guess just look deep at the send details of an email (webmail included) if really that worried huh? Like inspect elements in Windows or whatever thing we have as the means for that??.... Would such as that help to discern whom a deliberately fake sender name was really from? Certainly I guess it would give some clues I suppose? Or no?

 

Over the years there have been different variations of encrypting the email transit from one server to another, TLS is the only version of transport that is any where near what is required for secure transmission, but the technology and protocols in use are having to play catch up with the requirements of email so at the moment it is best to say that the transport of email is still insecure, the best way to make sure that the information contained within the email is to encrypt the message before sending with something like PGP.

Email is deceptively simple in its ease of use and convenience, but a major headache in its operation, there are many moving parts associated with sending information from one server to another that has to route itself through many servers and still arrive at the destination.

I can tell you it is not for the faint hearted once you get your head under the bonnet and start configuring things for how you want it to work, and once you do settle for a solution then you still have to consider the fact that at some point in the transit the encryption transport layer may not even be honoured and is forwarded on in plain text and read by anyone with the capability to do so, as i said it is infuriating, grrrrr.

So this is just a heads up to alert you to the fact that unless you encrypt the message before it routes its way across the net then you should consider your message to be always compromised and readable by anyone and conversely tampered with so the details of the message are altered.

[TetraG]

btw,  maybe I'm mixing up what you just said= "PGP" ..and PHP what I said, yep probably. Besides to assist myself in that PHP meaning I will go back to SourceF & that kooky mail program carrying that "PHP" in its name and see what maybe mentioned............(and for protocol explaining more generally etc, I'll lookup on Wiki til I learn this from that, haha)

 

But yeah everything you say in context of it all makes sense Sock Muppet...... all except for me, where I am wondering where you say encrypt BEFORE, like how would that make an email more secure, well I guess because it's already scrambled BEFORE it leaves your outbox is the simple logic there I suppose? And thusly no tampering or loss is therefore going to need you to worry about it ?? Thats true then is it?

 

Does this mean encryption applied "for us" by some (email) network or other -during transit- of an email is more the problem as opposed to when we as individuals set an email to go encrypted = ie, before it goes out and hence worries about DURING TRANIST can relax then as we've seized opportunity at the point of mail composure, of course when & where we are best placed to do that.

Edited August 17, 2022 by TetraG

[sock muppet]

49 minutes ago, TetraG said:

But yeah everything you say in context of it all makes sense Sock Muppet...... all except for me, where I am wondering where you say encrypt BEFORE, like how would that make an email more secure, well I guess because it's already scrambled BEFORE it leaves your outbox is the simple logic there I suppose? And thusly no tampering or loss is therefore going to need you to worry about it ?? Thats true then is it?

 

Yes, before you send.

 

51 minutes ago, TetraG said:

Does this mean encryption applied "for us" by some (email) network or other -during transit- of an email is more the problem as opposed to when we as individuals set an email to go encrypted = ie, before it goes out and hence worries about DURING TRANIST can relax then as we've seized opportunity at the point of mail composure, of course when & where we are best placed to do that.

 

Again yes, to be sure of privacy as of this point in time the TLS protocol for encrypted transport between servers is more a request than a standard feature to rely on.

[TetraG]

Nothing can make us confident and relaxed then currently? 

[sock muppet]

1 hour ago, TetraG said:

Nothing can make us confident and relaxed then currently? 

 

I think you maybe confusing the Transport Layer Security for email message encryption, this is a good place to start to get your head round the problem of email transit across an open network that the net is.

https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/ssl/transport-layer-security-tls/

Edited August 17, 2022 by sock muppet
added 'message' for clarity

[bamboozooka]

something to read

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ProtonMail

[EnigmaticWorld]

More on the Swiss mountain J mail.

 

 

 

Edited August 19, 2022 by EnigmaticWorld