Configuration and documentation

Navigating the path between getting started and getting stuck, and beyond.

For this test, the awarded score is cumulative from the quality of documentation to the ease of configuring new accounts. Unlike the other tools that work flawlessly with most IMAP and POP accounts, GMail considers ClawsMail as an unsecure application. You’re required to enable access to ‘Less secure apps’, from within GMail before you can configure Claws to fetch messages. Failure to do so results in a login failure message, even when you provide the correct password. Unfortunately, despite the user manual and FAQ on the website, the Claws documentation doesn’t discuss this hiccup of working with GMail.

Evolution is similarly difficult to configure with Yahoo, but like the other tools, the program can automatically fetch all the pertinent details when configuring GMail. You can access the thorough documentation from within the application itself by pressing F1. The quick reference PDF provides all the keyboard shortcuts you can use.

As with most KDE applications, KMail has a complete handbook discussing all its features. It can connect with a large number of services without you having to manually enter any settings, and only took us a matter of seconds to connect not only with Yahoo and GMail, but also a mail server hosted on GoDaddy!

Apart from thorough documentation covering different aspects of its usage, you can also access tips and tricks and details about customisation options and more on Thunderbird’s support page. Since Mailspring compulsorily requires creating an account, it regularly sends emails informing users of its myriad features. Like the others, its online help provides easy-to-follow instructions to configure, enable and use the different features.