Another look at KDE Plasma's email client
KMail Revisited
Photo by Mariia Shalabaieva on Unsplash
KMail offers a rich feature set, but a number of minor nuisances persist, making it a less than ideal email client.
When KDE Plasma became my main desktop environment 15 years ago, I switched my email from Evolution to KMail (Figure 1). At first, I was impressed. Even back then, KMail was a mature application, with more features than most other alternatives. However, mounting problems, including security difficulties that locked me out of my account, eventually made me a happy user of Claws Mail for over a decade. But when an upgrade to Debian 12 left Claws Mail dysfunctional for obscure reasons, I decided to save some troubleshooting and give KMail another try. Surely, I thought, in the intervening years, KMail had corrected its problems.
Figure 1: KMail is a full-featured email client featuring automation and ease of use.
The Feature Set: Part of the Story
At its best, KMail combines automation with a well-considered feature set. Naturally, it includes standard features for email clients, such as a signature file and a spell check, but KMail’s standard features are designed to be understandable at a glance, while often offering a variety of choices. For example, the default pane for displaying emails provides another level of organization by displaying the date emails were received on a separate line, providing much-needed space for the subject and sender fields. However, a dozen sorting criteria are available for the emails themselves and can be easily changed if necessary (Figure 2). Emails can also be displayed separately or in threads that can be expanded or collapsed as needed.
[...]
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Digital Autonomy
• How the Fediverse Found Parts for Its Platforms
• The Answer Was Already on the Shelf
• Changing the Chip Industry: How Public Investment Has Grown Open Silicon
• United Nations Open Source Portal Goes Live
• EU Open Source Strategy Plays Key Role in Tech Sovereignty Package
• France Says “Au Revoir” to Microsoft
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
-
Bottlenecks Discovered by Meta Engineers Lead to Scalability Improvements
Thanks to a small group of engineers at Meta, the Linux kernel module kernfs has been improved, which has led to some serious gains.
-
PwnEscape Poses VM Vulnerability
A guest-to-host escape flaw in Linux KVM, named PwnEscape, might be yet another means of attacking Linux.
-
Linux Mint 27 Set for a Christmas Release
The developers behind Linux Mint have announced a Christmas release, and it looks like Santa's sack will be brimming with features.
-
Is Linus Torvalds Vibe Coding?
The creator of Linux has added AI into his process for Linux kernel development, and it's more than just for debugging.
-
openKylin 3.0 Released with Expanded AI Integration
The latest release features a pre-installed AI agent to help perform tasks.
-
DigitalOcean Ends Open Source Credits Program
In a change that has surprised many open source developers, DigitalOcean has decided to sunset its Open Source Credits Program.
-
Office 365 Available for Testing on Linux via Bottles
Linux users can now test the official Office 365, thanks to Mirko Brombin's work on Bottles.
-
Dutch Government Turns to Open Source for Digital Sovereignty
Following in the footsteps of other European countries, the Netherlands is looking to increase its sovereign digital infrastructure with open source software.
-
Linux May Soon Work on Snapdragon X2-Based PCs
If you're thinking about buying a Snapdragon X2-based desktop or laptop, Linux may soon be an option.
-
KDE for People Initiative Calls for AI Ban in Plasma
A new community of KDE wants the project to adopt a strict no-AI policy for KDE Plasma.