Keeping mail on a local machine does not make sense when working across a large number of different (vitual) devices. As a GoogleApps user I have long preferred browser based mail client as my default.
Unfortunately this is not yet a very straight process on most Operating Systems and Ubuntu is no difference.
Edit: all the commands need to be run with root privileges. so either run “sudo su” or prefix all with “sudo ” (thanks to Paul for the comment below)
Remove Evolution (thanks to Grant Likely for the comment below)
apt-get remove evolution evolution-indicator
Install Gnome-Gmail
apt-get install gnome-gmail
Create entry for gnome-gmail using your preferred text editor and copy the following into the created file:
vim /usr/share/indicators/messages/applications/gnome-gmail #insert this line /usr/share/applications/gnome-gmail.desktop
Edit this file: /usr/share/applications/gnome-gmail.desktop and add the following line:
MimeType=application/mbox;message/rfc822;x-scheme-handler/mailto
Update desktop database for Gnome Gmail to be recognised as an email program:
update-desktop-database
Go to System Settings –> Preferred Applications and choose gnome-gmail as the default e-mail client
Log out for the changes to the indicator to take effect (or kill gnome-indicator process).
One refinement:
To remove the evolution indicator:
$ apt-get remove evolution-indicator
Also, I didn’t need to add the gnome-gmail file to /usr/share/indicators/messages/applications/gnome-gmail, but I’m using Natty, so that might just work now.
Thanks for the refinement ! Have added this to the post. I was using Natty Beta as well – looks like some issues are already fixed. Hopefully the MIME Type will be added as well as it is already a known issue.
Create entry for gnome-gmail using your preferred text editor and copy the following into the created file:
What do you mean with this? Do I have to create a new document en copy-paste the code or something? Sorry, new Ubuntu user here.
Nvm got it. However, when I’m trying to update the databases I get this:
“The databases in [/usr/share/gnome/applications, /usr/local/share/applications, /usr/share/applications] could not be updated.”
Nvm nvm, figured it out, eventually. It’s working, thanks!
You can delete all my posts lol.
Great! Thank you. Finally got this working after installing gnome-gmail several times on Natty.
Couple refinements:
1) the vi entry needed to be run as root; ie the command should be:
# sudo vi /usr/share/indicators/messages/applications/gnome-gmail
Then press “i” (or a), then type or paste in the line to add, then press Esc, then :wq
2) Editing the gnome-gmail.desktop, likewise, needs to be done as root. This command should say:
# sudo vi /usr/share/applications/gnome-gmail.desktop
Then press “a”, paste in the line, press Esc and type :wq
3) I believe update-desktop-database also needs a “sudo” in front of it.
After doing this Gnome Gmail finally shows up in Preferred apps. Whoop whoop!
Hi Paul,
You are of course right – all these commands need to be run as root (apt-get as well).
I generally just use
# sudo su
Saves having to sudo everything when doing admin tasks. But I will add this as an edit above.
Thanks so much for this. I use it on UbuntuStudio (11.04/Natty) and it works perfectly.
Thank you all!