Michelle,
I think there is a misunderstanding. I wanted to understand how other
people process their email. You are giving me pointers to programs but
don't describe how you use them.
Here is a potential strategy for handling mail:
- All incoming mail goes to inbox.
- I process all mails from inbox.
- Some messages I read, then delete right away.
- Other messages I read, then archive by project.
By project means that there is a folder for each project.
- Some messages I read, then respond to and archive (by project).
- Some messages I read, decide that I can't handle them right
away, so I put them in the todo folder. Every morning I go
through my todo folder.
- Some messages (often those sent by me) are waiting for responses
from others. I file those in the "pending" folder. Every
morning I go through my "pending" folder to see whether a response
has arrived.
Some of the above steps could be automated. The strategy does not
handle mailing lists well. But I hope it shows one possible response
and makes it clear in what way your response differs from what I was
expecting.
(I do not follow the above strategy, if that matters. Maybe I should.
Or maybe you have a better strategy?)
On to the details of your message:
On Thu, Jul 19, 2007 at 07:26:31PM +0200, Michelle Konzack wrote:
> Am 2007-07-11 17:03:23, schrieb Kai Grossjohann:
> >
> > What I'm looking for is some suggestions on how else I might organize my
> > mail, that fits more with what Mutt offers. I think most of you face
> > the same basic situation as I do:
> >
> > - Receive personal mail and mailing list mail.
>
> "fetchmail" or "getmail"
Those do not know the difference between personal mail and mailing list
mail, I think.
> > - Have different strategies for handling mail depending on the address
> > they were sent to (some mailing lists are less important than most
> > personal mail, so we don't check for new mail there as often).
>
> "procmail" or "maildrop"
Those do not check whether new mail is available that needs to be
processed.
> > - Want to archive a large portion of mail.
>
> "archivemail"
This is a good hint. Thanks a lot!
> > - Want to have an overview of messages that still need action of some
> > type.
>
> ???
I get a message. It could be something I read and then delete. Or it
could be something that I read and then archive. Or I respond right
away and then delete or archive.
These cases are easy.
Then there are messages that mean I need to do something, but I need
longer to do them. Or I need to get feedback from somewhere. Or
whatever. My memory is quite bad, so I like to have the computer store
a list of these open ends so I don't have to remember them.
> > - Don't want the archive to interfere (too much) with this overview.
>
> ???
Suppose I have a folder for the foo project. Then which of the messages
in that folder are open ends that still need action, and which of them
are archived messages?
> > Right? So what do you do?
>
> ...its up to you. :-)
I hope that what _you_ do is not up to _me_.
Kai
