Ron via Talk said on Sun, 22 Feb 2026 15:41:19 -0800
I've just setup RoundMail and it's very, very nice - even on mobile.
Curious if anyone uses it or has any opinions?
I've always considered webmail a 2nd class experience but I've had to update my opinion on that.
Also, Thunderbird has been my go-to client since PolarBar ceased updates.
I still like it, but Evolution has been quite good too.
So, what are the group's thoughts on email clients?
Like you, I've always considered webmail a 2nd class experience, based on my wife's use of it and the few times I've used it for troubleshooting. I consider Thunderbird junk if you have a whole lot of stored emails. The things I dislike about Thunderbird are innumerable. I like Evolution, and use it when Claws-Mail screws up. I use Claws-Mail on a daily basis, but the community experience is less than ideal, so I sometimes switch to Evolution, which is *almost* as good. I'd like to learn Mutt and switch to that, but Mutt is tough to use with IMAP and Mutt is very unforgiving of user error. Before 2001 I used Eudora on Windows and loved it. Eudora on Linux isn't as good, and I get the impression that Eudora was good enough for a 1999 email load, but not for a post 2012 email load. I used Kmail 2001 to 2012, and it was excellent, until the Kmail2 experience with nepomuk and akonadi made me a refugee dragging my email archives to whatever port would have me. To prevent any one email client from owning me, I keep my emails all in my on-computer ("Sovereign" is the new buzzword) Dovecot IMAP with a Dovecot Maildir. In my opinion all email clients suck, and Claws-Mail sucks the least.
Also, if anyone wants to test out Stalwart for email / CalDAV / CardDAV / optional encryption-at-rest with S/MIME or PGP,
I've never used any of those technologies in my life. PGP sounds nice, but I don't think most people can handle receiving it, so what's the use.
[snip]
Stalwart also supports OAuth, OpenID Connect, etc. but I don't know what to do with them. It's the entire email tech stack redone in a single Rust package - quite desirable to do away with all the fiddly components...
My opinion is that I'd like each of those stack members to be independently accessible so I can put together exactly what I want. I had an old Schwinn 1 speed bike in 1968 at the age of 18. Total tools needed: Adjustable wrench, a pliers, and a flathead screwdriver. A year later I bought a 1959 Plymouth with a flathead 6 engine. Tools needed to do a tuneup, replace the fuel filter, replace the thermostat: My bicycle tools plus a gapping tool and a spark plug wrench. My 1968 bicycle would still function perfectly as a city bike in 2026, as long as there aren't significant hills and you can afford to take 15% more time than with a derailleur bike. As a matter of fact, my current neighborhood bike is a Schwinn from the 1960's, although my transportational bike is a 00's Electra Townie 7D. My 1959 Plymouth was a gas guzzling gross polluter that should never be on the road today: Cars need computers to achieve their current gas mileage and low pollution. But if I were to ever get another car, my ideal would be if only the engine, timing and spark were controlled by a computer. No power windows, no power locks, no speed sensitive steering, no speed sensitive suspension, no power steering, no power brakes, a simple AM/FM radio or no radio at all, and probably no air conditioning. Spark plugs and spark plug wires and coil/coils within easy reach to do my own checks and replacements. I t j u s t w o r k s . T M I want the same for my computer, especially because if my computer is simple enough, I can make any custom components I want or need. Yes, I'm old and have a long gray beard all the way down my neck, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it. SteveT Steve Litt http://444domains.com