Gmail NON-browser access?

ghd...@gmail.com

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May 9, 2021, 8:26:32 PM5/9/21

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Gmail's intended access via a browser is hateful!
It wrongly assumes cheap always connected access,
and denies the ability to fetch multiple mails, which
will be read later, when conveniently off-line.
Nor the ability to randomly send previously off-line
written emails.
My internet access limits me to using a 3G-dongle via
Debian7; which is fine for lynx, links, w3m.
`exim --help` doesn't tell me much.
Is it viable to setup exim to handle gmail so that the
reading and writing is not forced to be done on-line ?
TIA --- CRG.

Grant Taylor

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May 9, 2021, 8:54:27 PM5/9/21

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On 5/9/21 6:26 PM, ghd...@gmail.com wrote:
> Is it viable to setup exim to handle gmail so that the reading and
> writing is not forced to be done on-line ?

First, Exim will only help with /sending/ email.

I'm assuming that you're talking about an @gmail.com address, which
means that SMTP will go to Google and not your server.

As far as I'm aware, Exim won't do anything for your ability to read Gmail.

Conceptually I expect that you can configure Exim to be used as a local
relay that will subsequently send things on to the next smart host,
ostensibly Gmail, when you tell it to. The thing I'm not aware of is
how to configure Exim to support connecting to and authenticating to
Gmail's SMTP service as a smart host. I would expect that this is
possible. Though some recent noise I've heard about 2FA makes me wonder
if that's true, or for how much longer it might be true.

But Exim does nothing for receiving email from Gmail for offline reading.

Have you considered Thunderbird, et al., which does (do) support
authenticating to Gmail and copying email locally for offline use? I
know that Thunderbird can be configured to queue messages (wait in the
out box) for you to tell it when to send them.

--
Grant. . . .
unix || die

Giovanni

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May 10, 2021, 4:23:46 AM5/10/21

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I access my gmail account using 'fetchmail' daemon via imap
(imap.gmail.com) after having enabled gmail less secure access and using
TLS certificates.

Fetchmail periodically accesses remote imap server and stores messages
as local messages. You can also send messages via sendmail
(smtp.gmail.com) and i suppose that exim can do this.

Later versions of fetchmail may implement the correct protocol without
enabling gmail less secure access.

Ciao
Giovanni
--
A computer is like an air conditioner,
it stops working when you open Windows.
< http://giovanni.homelinux.net/ >

John Hasler

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May 10, 2021, 9:08:47 AM5/10/21

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> You can also send messages via sendmail (smtp.gmail.com)
> and i suppose that exim can do this.

Yes, of course it can. Just select the "smarthost" configuration
option.
--
John Hasler
jha...@newsguy.com
Dancing Horse Hill
Elmwood, WI USA

Johann Beretta

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May 28, 2021, 4:20:32 PM5/28/21

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Why not just enable POP or IMAP access on your gmail account and then
use Thunderbird (or another MTA)?

Katsuragi_Keima

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Sep 25, 2021, 5:43:57 AM9/25/21

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Hash: SHA256

Use mutt/neomutt. It is a terminal based email client. You can send and
receive mails.

katsuragi,
Kyoto, Japan
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Darren Goossens

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Oct 21, 2021, 6:22:39 PM10/21/21

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ghd...@gmail.com wrote:

> Gmail's intended access via a browser is hateful!
> It wrongly assumes cheap always connected access,
> and denies the ability to fetch multiple mails, which

> ....

Umm... Alpine? There are plenty of tutorials on the web about using Alpine for
your mail program, and if you go to your gmail account and generate an App
password (16 random characters), you can use it even if your account has 2FA.

It's a text terminal program, and very easy to use once setup.

https://alpine.x10host.com/

https://bcacciaaudio.com/2018/10/09/alpine-mail-setup-with-gmail/

Your complaint about gmail is correct. The gmail browser app uses a lot of RAM
(my computer RAM use goes up by around 400MB when I browse to gmail!) and
downloads a lot of the google ecosystem when you just want to check mail.