Good simple e-mail/local server program.

[tieke]

Done a bit of internet searching, but can't seem to find exactly what I want, so thought I would ask here before chucking it in for the night: basically I am currently using a 2005 version of "The Bat!" e-mail program, which acts as my local server mail program - it resides on my always-on GBPVR computer, and downloads mail from my various pop accounts.

The Bat! is also installed on my other computers (main work one, netbook, wife's computer etc), but these are just client versions of the program, which connect to the server message-bases over the local network, so that all sent and received messages exist in the same place. ie the interface is exactly the same, but all e-mails are sent and received via the lounge/GBPVR computer, simplifying traffic and back-up requirements.

This is just what I want, but unfortunately they removed this feature in 2006 (much to my surprise after paying for the version "upgrade" ), and thus various other program improvements over the last few years cannot be applied (basically the 2005 version has a few bugs that are getting too annoying). I have looked for a drop-in alternative, but everyone else seems to suggest a full-blooded stand-alone e-mail server and handling all mail yourself rather than fetching it via pop from various ISPs.

Anyone heard of a similar feature with a different mail program, or do I have to either set up a main server or revert to each computer individually downloading the mail? Things have come to a bit of a head with my latest antivirus refusing to play nicely with this version of The Bat!, so it has moved up my priority list from "nagging annoyance" to "must do".

Note - all computers are on Windows XP, and this is just for sharing across my home-LAN: on the road I just use a pop-checker or VNC-in to a home computer if I want to check on old e-mails.

Any suggestions gratefully received - what does everyone else do to avoid home-network mail duplication?

cheers,

tieke

[radar]

Have you looked at Mercury/32. It's a full blown email system and has the ability via a pop3 client module to download from pop mailboxes to its own mail system. You could use an email client with IMAP to connect to your Mercury/32 installation and still keep all of your mail in one place. I run it on my GBPVR machine in the lounge room just like you do - and have no problems with it. It is free for personal use too.
Quote from the manual
"MercuryD is a POP3 Client Module designed to retrieve mail from as many remote hosts as you wish and to distribute that mail to users on your local system or network."

http://www.pmail.com/m32_472.htm

cheers
radar

[Dave72]

Not sure if yer handy with .bat files or a simple pgm language like Autohotkey.. perhaps a command line popmail util would work ?

i have used GetMail (at http://pages.interlog.com/~tcharron/getmail.html) with Autohotkey scripts to fetch mail. In my own script I save the emails as text files .. which could then be copied (and filtered etc) about to your lan pcs with simple file moves in the same script.
Bit of a learning curve, but would be ultra small footprint and cpu useage.

In one of my scripts, an email account gets polled regularly to find emails sent from myself via SMS on my cell phone. Once a password has been found, the script can do things on the local pc (pop up a post-it type note on the screen, or send me some simple info back to the cell phone from the pc, check status of my UPS for a power outage, etc etc).

[martint123]

I've been using pmail for donkeys years (and still am).
Mercury is excellent as a server as well. I'm only familiar with somewhat earlier versions that ran on Netware servers, but it supported the college I was admin at with around 5000 accounts. It was supposed to be just as good at supporting just a household.

Extremely reliable and once set up could be left on it's own with virtually no maintenance.

[tieke]

Mercury/pmail sounds good - I know I looked at it a while ago, but at the time the effort required to convert my message bases etc outweighed the advantages, but the balance has now tipped the other way.

EDIT: By the looks of it if pmail is first installed on a server computer, there is a simple work-station mode (wssetup) install which I could use on my other computers instead of installing a Mercury/e-mail client combo - I will have to investigate the advantages/disadvantages of the two approaches further.

thanks,

tieke

btw - I suppose I should have expected users of GBPVR to recommend another great piece of free software written by a New Zealander

[whurlston]

It may be a little more than you need but I run a server with hMailServer and RoundCube as a webmail interface.

[martint123]

Just thinking sideways and what I have been doing for a long time - I use UVNC just to log into my server that runs gbpvr (and pmail and stuff) and just remotely use the same client at every workstation I come across.
With a bit of router/firewall tweakery, you can even use a browser with UVNC so can run your mail from anywhere without installing software.
My pmail client is currently downloading pop3 mail from about 12 external servers.

[pBS]

oOOo, i like hMailserver... and has support too..cool..
easiest installation i've come across also...very nice..
and the compact ms sql db isn't a pain so far..runs as a service too...

[reven]

may i suggest a different approach. gmail.
gmail allows you to connect up to 5 different pop accounts (more cost money but available) and download the messages into your gmail account. you can then reply to the message and gmail will use the same email address the message was sent to in the "From" field.
i use this for all my email accounts and it works wonderfully.
plus having all the emails online means i can access them anywhere.
i was originally going to setup an exchange server before i discovered gmail could do this.

[whurlston]

oOOo, i like hMailserver... and has support too..cool..
easiest installation i've come across also...very nice..
and the compact ms sql db isn't a pain so far..runs as a service too...

Yeah. It's pretty sweet. It has an ActiveX component that can be used for scripting too. If you change the database directly, the new values aren't read until the "refresh" time you set in the configuration but scripted changes are immediate.