Communicating With Kubuntu

This document presents the various ways one can communicate with others using Kubuntu™.


Email

KMail is the default email client used in Kubuntu™. KMail is a component of the Personal Information Manager (PIM) called Kontact that also includes calendaring, contacts, tasks, and more.

To start KMail, go to K menuApplicationsInternetMail Client, or press Alt+F2, type kmail and press the Enter key.

The first time KMail is started, a wizard will appear to help set up an email account. If more advanced settings are needed during the wizard steps, it is safe to cancel the wizard and manually configure the settings. Please see the section called “Configuring Kmail” below.

Configuring Kmail

Once KMail is opened, click SettingsConfigure KMail... to open the configuration dialog for KMail.

The first step in setting up email accounts is to create identities for the accounts. The default identity can be safely modified to suit particular needs. There are 6 tabs in the Add or Modify identity dialog.

Identity Add/Modify Tabs

General

Contains information pertaining to name, organization, and email address.

Cryptography

Contains information pertaining to OpenPGP signing key, encryption key, S/MIME signing and encryption certificates, as well as the preferred crypto message format.

Advanced

Contains information pertaining to reply-to and BCC addresses, the dictionary to use, and folder locations for sent-mail, drafts, and templates.

Templates

Contains information pertaining to custom templates for new messages, reply to sender messages, and more.

Signature

Contains information pertaining to the use of a signature in emails. It can be configured to use a signature file, create and use custom text, or have KMail run a command and append the output to your signature.

Picture

Contains information pertaining to the use of a picture when sending emails.

Once an identity or multiple identities have been set up, the next step is to configure an account or accounts. There are 2 parts to account configuration, one for receiving and the other for for sending.

When adding an account for receiving email, press the Add... under the Accounts section. A dialog will appear asking for the Account Type.

Receiving email account types

Local mailbox

An advanced setting for use with a local mailbox that is collecting messages via another Mail Transfer Agent (MTA).

POP3

A typical setting with email clients, POP3 allows for email retrieval from a remote server using an Internet connection. POP3 briefly connects to the remote server and downloads all new messages.

IMAP

Another common protocol for receiving email, IMAP stays connected to the mail server for email retrieving. Unlike POP3, IMAP allows for multiple clients to be connected simultaneously to the same mailbox.

Disconnected IMAP

Disconnected IMAP is similar to IMAP, however email messages are synchronized between the server and the client, leaving everything on the server. Both the server and the client will have identical copies.

Maildir mailbox

Similar to the Local mailbox, except that it uses the Maildir format instead of the mbox format.

When adding an account for sending email, press the Add... in the Accounts section under the Sending tab. A Create Outgoing Account dialog will appear asking for the account type.

Sending email account types

SMTP

SMTP allows for the use of a server provided either by an email service or an Internet Service Provider (ISP). It is the most common account type used for sending email.

Sendmail

Sendmail is a Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) that is separate from KMail and is used in more advanced configurations.

Dummy MailTransport Resource

A dummy resource implementing mail transport interface. It should only be used by those who are experienced with it.

The rest of the configuration options for KMail pertain to security and layout. In most situations, the defaults are fine, however KMail can be configured to suit particular needs.