On Mon, Feb 02, 2009 at 03:58:04PM +0000, James Freer wrote:
Chris
Thunderbird is the only email client that allows archiving with ImportExportTools and the only client that allows migration to linux from windoze Outlook Express importing all Outlook settings. All outlook folders are then in thunderbird's outlook mail.sbd directory. Rather poor that Evolution can't provide their own method for Import.
Irrelevant! :-) No Outlook [Express] involved anywhere, the original mailboxes were Thunderbird on Windows which was trivial to import into Thunderbird on Linux.
Then you can import into any linux email client. You've chosen Evolution [ghastly programme imho and plenty of bugs]. You select File--Import [import assistant window opens and you select import a single file, choosing the mbox file]. If you have problems copy manually - exit evolution, copy files to ~/.evolution/mail/local. Set filters and create her 60 folders or so... shouldn't take that long.
Doesn't work, I tried that, it doesn't know about the mailbox hierarchy.
As it turns out it's simpler than simple. All that you need to do is copy the mail files from the Thunderbird mail folder to the Evolution one, e.g. in our case copy from:-
~/.mozilla-thunderbird/53eisfp1.default/Mail/Local Folders
to:-
~/.evolution/mail/local
Thunderbird and Evolution use the same naming convention, <name> is the mailbox name, <name>.sdb is the directory for sub-folders.
Once I'd done this Evolution just re-indexed each folder when I opened it and that was all that was needed.
directories. It is not for exporting to another email client. If you use IMAP then you don't have this problem - the new email client will just download all emails when the app starts. May take a while if there is a large amount.
We do use IMAP but archive stuff the the local system which is where the big hierarchy is.
What will you do for backup if you transfer all email folders to evolution - when the files get v.large what will you do?
All home directories are backed up to an off site system.
I only use Thunderbird now for downloading emails for archiving using the ImportExportTools - bi-annually. The new themes that googlemail offers are great for customising so i don't see the point of an email client for everyday use. I also use more than one machine so webmail suits me better.
I personally use mutt on a remote system that I ssh into, no need for webmail to access from anywhere. I can even use my nokia E71 phone to read my mail using ssh.