googleaps | digital nomad

GoogleApps (Gmail) as default Ubuntu mail client

Post author:Leo Gaggl
Post published:April 24, 2011
Post category:miscellaneus
Post comments:9 Comments

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).

Ubuntu – Google Mail (GoogleApps) as default mail client

Post author:Leo Gaggl
Post published:December 15, 2009
Post category:documentation telework / digital nomads
Post comments:0 Comments

Since Ubuntu 9.10 NetbookRemix has been released I am again finding myself using my trusty old ASUS EEE when on the road. And finally it seems I have found a vanilla Linux distribution that is reasonably responsive and works 'out of the box'. One thing I don't need on the road (as a matter of fact on none of my equipment) is having to install & maintain some client/server mail client. Here is a workable solution to have your browser default 'mailto:' links to Google Apps. Howto System --> Preferences --> Preferred Applications Chrome: perl -MURI::Escape -e '$to = shift;$to =~ s/^mailto://i;exec("chromium-browser", "https://mail.google.com/a/yourdomain.tld/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&cmid=22&to=".URI::Escape::uri_escape($to) );' '%s' Firefox: perl -MURI::Escape -e '$to = shift;$to =~ s/^mailto://i;exec("firefox", "https://mail.google.com/a/yourdomain.tld/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&cmid=22&to=".URI::Escape::uri_escape($to) );' '%s' Note: do not forget to replace 'yourdomain.tld' with your actual Google Apps domain Here is the link to the original blog entry by David Davis (xantus77): http://xantus.vox.com/library/post/howto-use-gmail-for-mailto-links-linuxubuntu.html (Kudos !)