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List:       kdepim-users
Subject:    Re: [kdepim-users] I need help understanding why I am not able to
From:       Ingo =?iso-8859-1?q?Kl=F6cker?= <kloecker () kde ! org>
Date:       2006-06-20 19:53:48
Message-ID: 200606202153.51036 () erwin ! ingo-kloecker ! de
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[I think the kdepim-users mailing list is a bit more appropriate so I 
move the discussion there.]

On Tuesday 20 June 2006 19:00, Spiro A. wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I have been (as most of us) a Microsoft user for about 15 years while
> using Microsoft Outlook quite a lot sinked with my palm pilot via
> Chapura. I have always been happy with it although I had sometimes
> issues with calendar not always being accurate.
> After I decided to migrate to Linux, choosing Gentoo as a Linux
> distro to begin with, I tried evolution but did not like it 100% even
> if it is most similar to Outlook. Rather, because I made the choice
> to implement kde as my base system , I chose kontact so that it is
> integrated with kde; but I have to be honest: since than I was never
> able to adapt to kontact suite considering how Outlook application
> and my sinking capabilities treated me. I am quite sad because I
> still do not feel having all of my data properly managed.
> So, I decided to find some courage and keep trying to adapt to
> kontact but there are still several things that annoy me and do not
> let me utilize my pim data.
>
> So, I wish to try asking questions with the hope to get some proper
> answers and see what can be done, what will never be implemented, and
> what could be considered as wish list. This in order to plan for
> future stable management.
>
> Obviously, there will be features I forget now to mention but I will
> try my best:
>
> ---> KMAIL - Section -
> 1) I am unable to set for each individual folder specific setting
> changes to columns (width, order, or selection). Example: I have two
> folders. In the first one I wish to have three fields displayed
> named: Subject, Receiver and Date. I wish that Subject has a wide
> width, and Receiver a small width and Date the same. Instead, when I
> go to the second folder, I wish to have only two fields: Subject and
> Date.
> If I change one folder it gets applied to all folders.
> How to make each individual folder independent in settings?

That's currently not possible. I can't make any predictions for later 
versions of Kontact/KMail (for KDE 4 and beyond), but since we will 
have to make major changes to the way the user interface is implemented 
it is not unlikely that this will be possible in KDE 4. There does 
already exist an entry for this wish in the bug database 
(http://bugs.kde.org). You might want to vote for it.

> 2) I am having difficulties with spell check. I write mails in both
> English and Italian and wish to be able to have automatic spell
> checker check my typing and be able to let kmail autoadapt to the
> current language I type, like Outlook does and mostly Microsoft
> Office does. But, I find
> difficulties making spell check work. Moreover, I find ispell for the
> italian language quite limited. Is there a way to have/implement a
> more comprehensive dictionary for my Italian language?

Try aspell instead of ispell. With respect to using different languages 
I suggest to either create two different identities, one for English 
and one for Italian, or to enable the Dictionary selection in the 
composer window (via View->Dictionary) so that you can easily switch 
between English and Italian.

Automatic language detection will hopefully be possible in KDE 4.

> 3) When I enter a folder the highlited blue bar is never at the very
> top of the first email. Let's bring an example: I have Inbox selected
> and I receive incoming emails. The list of email displayed does not
> move. Sometimes, the bar is in the middle, sometimes it is where I
> left it before, and sometimes it is just one email below the just
> arrived new mail. So, I have to move the side bar up to uncover the
> new mail. It would be more usefull for: a) Anytime I enter a folder
> that the cursor positions itself on top and on the first email on the
> list.

In the configuration dialog under Misc->Folders you have several 
options. Unfortunately, the option "Jump to first message" is currently 
missing.

> b) When new mail comes in or goes into a folder the list of mail
> scrolls down and uncovers new mail so that the new screen displaying
> the content of the folder starts from the top with new mail.
> Be aware that I set "When entering a folder" settings both ways but
> did not make any difference. So far, I have the date filed sorting
> mail with the arrow pointing up.
>
> Obviously, I keep in mind the Ascending order of mail based on Date.

The problem that new messages are not visible in the list is a very old 
one (see bug database). It will hopefully be fixed in a later version.

> 4) From time to time I receive mail with wrong encodings and see
> squares rather than proper char set. I am already aware that this is
> not a kde problem or fault but: why not allowing kmail users to
> select a feature that would allow between a strict char encoding and
> a tollerant one so that instead of seeing squares you see proper
> characters? At least you get the job done also because if you wait or
> hope that other developers would make proper changes / corrections, I
> fear I will be still around to see them implemented.

You can specify a "Fallback encoding" which will be used if a message 
lacks an encoding. Just set it to the encoding that most of the 
messages with missing encoding use. Usually, using "Western European 
(iso-8859-15)" is a good guess for Western European and probably also 
for American users.

> 5) When I open an email to read I found myself in a new windows. How
> come I am unable to customize that window button bar? I wish to add
> buttons with specific features.

The simple answer is lack of developers. I have already added some more 
features to this window, but it's still very spartan. It is very likely 
that in KDE 4 this window will offer more or less the same 
functionality as the main window.

> 6) How to remove, when composing a new mail, two repetitive To:
> lines? Obviously, one is sufficient to begin with. If I wish more
> than one, when I tab automatically the second one will open up.
> Maybe, a setting change I am not aware of?

It would not be intuitive how to open a new recipient line. Therefore we 
have chosen to always show an additional empty recipient line. Of 
course, one can enter several email addresses in a single To: line, but 
we have chosen the current solution because we think it's easier to 
use. In particular, removing a few recipients from a list of recipients 
is much easier if there's only one recipient per To: line.

> 7) Request Disposition Notification: I never got this to work. I
> select it and send the email. I never receive a disposition
> notification knowing that the email has been delivered.

The recipient might block them. For example, I do block them. If the 
recipient doesn't want you to receive a DN then you won't get one.

> Moreover, do 
> I have the opportunity to have two kinds of disposition notifications
> (meaning: 1) that the email was accepted succesfully by the receiver
> smtp 2) that the email was actually opened by the receiver)?

I haven't studied the MDN specification so I don't know whether that's 
possible. In any case, if a message is not accepted by the receiver's 
mail server then you should receive a failure notification. So, in 
general, receiving no failure notification implies that the message has 
been delivered successfully to the users inbox. I'm of course aware 
that mail servers might silently drop messages they regard as spam.

> 8) Filters: two issues: (BTW, nice job done for improvements to ver
> kontact 1.2)
> a) there is no button or menu link that would "just" "open Filter
> menu". Anytime I have to make a change or to just consult Filters, I
> have to create a new one, then from within Filters delete it and do
> what i wish. Is there a way to just have a menu item and a button for
> Filters to edit?

Settings->Configure Filters. This menu option has always been there.

> b) why is it so slow to load (I refer to the Filter 
> menu when I select it from Message -> Create Filter? It always take
> about 2 to 3 seconds to open up rather than being instantaneous.

There's a lot of stuff going on to show the window. This could surely be 
improved.

> 9) When you open sub-folders in Folder colum, if you have several
> subfolder after you expand over and over the text goes behind the
> right scroll bar not allowing to see what is behind. Is it possible
> to have it automatically move to the left?

No, that's currently not implemented. You can save some space in the 
folder column by switching from a separate Unread count column to 
viewing the unread count after the folder name. You could also consider 
disabling the Total count column. This way you'd get more space for the 
folder names.

> 10) When checking incoming mail, there is a action bar in the right
> bottom part of the windows showing check activity. If I click on the
> arrow I then see a separate nice windows with more details. Is it
> possible to do one of the two:
> a) make so that each time it checks mail it automatically displays
> that windows. Why? Because it displays more important data like how
> many emails is downloading and the status of email check in words.

If you opened this window then it will always be opened again until you 
explicitely close it. It's possible that after restart it defaults 
again to being closed. But as long as you don't restart Kontact it 
should remember the last state of this window.

> ---> Contacts Section -
> 12) For multiple emails and IM I only have one display box. Rather I
> should have like a drop down bar with several emails displaied or be
> able to see them rather that having to enter into the Edit... This
> way I am able to see immediately that I have more than one email

I'm not sure what you mean. If you select a contact then all his email 
addresses should be shown. So I guess you are talking about the list of 
contacts where only the primary email address is shown. I can't say 
much about this because the Contacts part is not my domain.

> 13) Is it possible to create views to print? It is quite important to
> be able to print what I wish as colums reguardless of what I have
> displayed.

As far as I know this isn't possible.

> ---> Notes Section -
> 14) I wish to learn if it is possible to have notes displayed and
> organized in/with folders/sub-folders so I can manage them. An
> example would be an application named KNowit. This would be very very
> much usefull as I can manage/organize my notes in a more effective
> way rather than seeing a huge amount of post-it type notes.

That's a question for Michael Brade (brade@kde.org).

> ---> Synchronization -
> 15) Can someone please explain what is it for?

I can't explain because I've never looked at it. I think it's supposed 
to make it easy to sync between all kinds of PIM data storages.

> ---> Palm Pilot -
> 16) I have an handheld Visor NEO with Palm OS.
> Is there a way to have a software like Chapura that would expand the
> features of my handheld and still be able to sink it with kontact?

I don't think so because Chapura will surely use different databases to 
store it's information. And since the Palm Pilot part doesn't know 
about those databases you will probably not be able to sync this 
informaiton with Kontact. But the expert in this domain is Adriaan de 
Groot (groot@kde.org).

> ---> Plug-in -
> I also wish to learn about some plug-ins for both mail and calendars,
> like birthday/anniversary/important date , like some additional
> calendar events, like religious events/calendar, like some more tools
> to manage in-coming spam mail. Besides look.kde.com is there
> something more for kontact?

Sorry, no idea.

> I apologize for my long email but I am just trying to see if I can
> see more answers to my questions. I wish to avoid using Outlook with
> wine. Why? Because if I migrated to Linux is to migrate also as a
> concept and implement / honor the GNU world.
>
> I hope I can also be of help to improve your products. At least, this
> is my main goal along with solving my issues.

Regards,
Ingo

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