Using the Alpine email reader
Modern Reader
The newest incarnation of the Pine email reader is fast, easy to use, and offers a thoroughly modern feature set.
Alpine [1] is the latest incarnation of Pine [2], an email reader developed by the University of Washington. If you first got on the Internet in the mid-1990s at a university or college, chances are good that you used Pine to connect. However, despite its age, Alpine is a thoroughly modern email reader, with support for UTF-8 characters and most of the other features found in desktop readers like KMail or Evolution.
In fact, a case could made for making Alpine your default email reader on the desktop. It's fast and easy to navigate, reduces repetitive stress injuries by keeping your hands on the keyboard (although mouse support can be added), and remains functional when your X server fails, which makes it a useful part of your recovery toolkit.
The only sign of Alpine's age is a few terms that are non-standard today: "Commit changes" for "Save," "Form letter" for "Template," and "WhereIs" for "Search," for example. However, these usages are easy to figure out and create only minor learning problems.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Foundation Report Indicates AI Driving Tech Hiring
Within growing security and skills gaps, AI has been found to be a positive driving force behind tech hiring trends in Europe.
-
United Nations Open Source Portal Goes Live
A new open source portal seeks to coordinate and scale open source efforts across the United Nations system.
-
KDE Linux Drops AUR
KDE Linux developers have dropped the Arch User Repository from the build pipeline due to security concerns; other distributions should consider doing the same.
-
California May Exempt Linux from Its Age-Verification Law
After backlash from the Linux community, California may be backing off on its promise to force all operating systems to verify age, but one platform may still have to comply.
-
Another Logic Bug Found in Linux Kernel
Qualys has discovered a vulnerability in the Linux kernel that can be used to elevate standard user privileges.
-
Ubuntu Core 26 Offers Game-Changing Enterprise Features
Ubuntu Core 26 could be a game-changer for organizations looking for increased security and reliability.
-
AI Flooding the Linux Kernel Security Mailing List
AI is giving Linus Torvalds a headache, but not in the way you might think.
-
Top Priorities for Open Source Pros Seeking a New Job
Professional fulfillment tops the list, according to LPI report.
-
Container-Based Fedora Hummingbird Designed for Agent-First Builders
Fedora Hummingbird brings the same approach to the host OS as it does to containers to level up security.
-
Linux kernel Developers Considering a Kill Switch
With the rise of Linux vulnerabilities, the kernel developers are now considering adding a component that could help temporarily mitigate against them… in the form of a kill switch.