Email Client

I can't say I'm loving the email client that comes as standard. Are there any alternatives available, and if yes, how would I go about installing one?

 

Hi fernzaty,

Why not use Thunderbird , go to add and remove programs > applications > graphical internet, scroll down the list to Thunderbird and check the box on the left and install the package, thats it done.

 

Barrie, did it, got it, loving it already. Thanks for the heads up.

 

You are welcome

 

Hi barrie. Afraid I'm a newbie - only just got my Acer Aspire - but having escaped the clutches of Microsoft I find myself stumbling blindly round Linux !

I use Thunderbird and would love to transfer it over (if only to access my address book), but I fall at the first hurdle
- how do I 'go to add and remove programs > applications etc...' ?
- I can't seem to get there from my desktop!

 

Hi freddie,

The first thing to do and make your life easier is enable the right click option so do the following.

1.Click My Documents then when the window opens select >file.

2.From the drop down menu select terminal.

3.Now enter this xfce-setting-show and press enter.

4.A new window will open so select and click the desktop Icon.

5.Click the behaviour tab here you will see two boxes.

6.Check the box next to Show desktop menu on right click.

Now close all windows and return to the desktop then right click somewhere, this should now give you an extended desktop menu which you will see contains more options that the interface you have at present, now reboot.

Now you have done this right click the desktop and select system > add / remove software as my post above.

 

Brilliant! Thanks - will try.
Thanks for treating me gently!

 

Hi freddie,

No problem keep us posted.

 

OK barrie - so far so good. Back home now. Thunderbird up and running and address book imported ok (no space consuming vcards thank goodness!). I feel I'm getting places. Thanks for your help

But some more questions I'm afraid...

1) That xfce-setting-show... what does the shorthand mean? - is this 'Linux talk'? and how does it work? Where do I read up about this?

2) How are we supposed to know xfce was there? What else is there that we might want to give a 'show' setting to?

3) If xfce is so useful, why don't they ship the systems with it enabled?

4) The add and remove programs > applications > graphical internet - is that all via an Acer website or a Linux website (and if so, which one?)

5) Finally (for the moment) How do I remove the Acer mail icon from the Connect part of the desktop and bring the Thunderbird icon in?

 

Hi

1.Regarding xfce have a look here it has lots of useful information.
http://www.xfce.org/

Here is my xfce Linux desktop

2.There is a great deal under the hood so to speak, and this forum gives you all the hints and help try browsing through the how to guides and software-Linux sections it really is to vast a topic to list.
3.I cant answer for Acer, it is a little like why did they opt for a fedora based OS, but I suspect Acer wanted it customised to there own specification.
4. Acer.

5.For this you need to alter your group-app.xml file backup the original first.
a) To remove the Acer mail icon I think it is this line as you see I have added at the end.


b) To put Thunderbird in it place create the following line.

<app sequence="3"acs=”mail”>/usr/share/applications/mozilla-thunderbird.desktop</app>

I have used the number 3 but look at what you have listed and choose a number not used by another app.

 

Sorry barrie - as I said, having escaped the clutches of Microsoft I find myself stumbling blindly around Linux...

1. Do you know the url of the site that xfce accesses to download the programs? I would like to download the s/w for safe keeping on my main PC. Are the contents listed somewhere? - it would be nice to find the contents of the subgroups on the righthand side - and what they od. Is the site http://support.acer-euro.com/drivers/no ... e_110.html

2. About the edit - dunno which program to use or how to locate the system files
- how do I find the file group-app.xml ?
- how do I back it up ?
- how do I edit it ?

Sorry to be such a numbskull - I'm an old greybearded programmer who feels he has stepped right back to the 1960's!

 

Hi freddie,


I don’t fully understand your question re download site, if you are reefing to applications then for example if you want Opera then you go to there downloads page and look for the fedora 7/8 version as Linpus is fedora based, this will apply to all applications you want to use.
For Acer try here
http://www.acer.co.uk/acer/home.do?Lang ... 1797485490

For accessing the group-app.xml file follow these steps and once there scroll down to the connect area of the file.

1.Open your file manager
2.Now in the heading box type the following.
/home/user/.config/xfce4/desktop then select the file group-app.xml

I only got my box in Oct and have now dispensed with Microsoft altogether, wish I had done it a long time ago, and will add I am a greybeard to but know nothing about programming.
:!:

 

Barrie

I'm on a pretty steep learning curve here!

Thanks for the explanation of /home/user/.config/xfce4/desktop etc
- looks like a lot of interesting stuff along the way... I can see I'm going to be busy just finding where everything is hidden away. Just a pity you have to know where it is before you can find it ! Haven't found anything about this in the 'How to' sections. Where did you find out about it?

About the list of files that xfce displays - it looks like it is all from one site and I just wondered where it was, so that I could explore it at leisure on my main PC. This is such a great little box of tricks, I just wanna find what s/w is available so I can download it in case Acer pulls the site/goes belly up!

 

Hi

J

Its in the how to guides I mentioned earlier.
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=28#p158

No the software is gathered from many different repository's /locations. How nice if it were all in one place.