Re: [Evolution] newbie question - many accounts, one inbox - How???

[Ángel <angel 16bits net>]

On 2020-08-15 at 19:01 +0100, rogercreagh--- via evolution-list wrote:
> Hi,
> I am in the process of migrating from Mac to Linux, and the one big
> thing I have been unable to find is a mail client as good as Apple's
> Mail for Mac.
>
> In particular I have several email accounts, and on the Mac you get a
> single Inbox, (and a single drafts, junk, sent and trash) all listed on
> the left. You can expand the inbox to show the separate inboxes for
> each account (and the same for the sent, junk, trash etc) so you can
> still view them separately, but the basic view combines them.
>
> In Evolution it seems that the accounts are entirely separate and you
> can't combine them functionally like on the mac.
>
> How can I (is it even possible) set up Evolution so it works in the
> same way as Mail on a Mac (which after many years of use seems
> completely natural to me)?
>
> I guess it is because Linux is not written from a users point of view,
> but from the computer's point of view. But in this instance the
> functional sorting of all mail is a lot more usable.

It will work for some people and ways of working, it won't for others.
For instance, I have configured some work accounts that seldomly need to
be accessed directly. A client that forced an Unified inbox would mean
that the many mails received there would hamper me from actually getting
on top of my own (already clutttered) inbox.

You are used to working that way. But it doesn't mean it's intrinsecally
better.
Plus, people have very peculiar customs with their email clients :-)

> Mostly I don't need to bother what account I have received the mail at (so long as if
> I reply the reply comes from that account); I just want to deal with
> the inbox, or check the junk, or find a mail I sent last month, without
> knowing the account.
>
> Other mail clients I have tried for Linux seem to be the same - if
> Evolution can't do it can anyone recommend one that can (is there an
> Apple Mail client for Linux? Since MacOS is based on Linux would Apple
> Mail for MacOS actually run on Ubuntu?)
>
> Suggestions anyone? Is there a plugin/extension/theme/whatever for
> evolution that provides a functional view of mail?

If you downloaded all the accounts mail through POP, you could get
everything on the same Local inbox.

However, a solution more similar to what you ask for is to create a
number of search folders in evolution. That way, you can create a
"virtual Inbox" which actually shows your the emails that are on
account1.Inbox OR account2.Inbox OR account3.Inbox... and so on.

Search folders are more powerful than that, but this would solve your
needs. The equivalent of "expanding the Inboxes" would be to actually
scroll to each account real inbox.

Best regards