Free Geek Email
There are three different interfaces that can be used to access your Free Geek email: POP3, IMAP, and Squirrelmail. Each of them has its advantages and disadvantages.
Roundcube web mail client
Roundcube is probably the easiest way to access your email, since it involves only a web browser and can be used from any location.
Go to https://mail.freegeek.org and enter your username (whoyouis) or email address (whoyouis@freegeek.org) in the Name field and your email password in the Password field.
Client based email
Use the following settings to connect from an email client such as Evolution or Thunderbird. The server port is included below for clarity, but is usually automatically set when you choose the encryption type.
Receiving email
IMAP
IMAP allows you to access your email from anywhere and leave the email on a server, but requires a separate email program. Most email programs (even windows ones) can handle IMAP. The main disadvantage of IMAP (and webmail) is was that the messages are inaccessible when you are offline. Any decent modern mail client has an option to sync mail locally so this is no longer a real problem. (Fun Fact:Squirrel Mail users IMAP behind the scenes).
- Protocol - IMAP
- Server - mail.freegeek.org
- username - the first part of your email before the @ symbol.
- server port - 993
- Encryption - SSL
- Authentication - Plain Text
POP3
The "old traditional" email system. POP downloads the email to your machine, making it inaccessible from other locations unless you choose to leave a copy of the email on the server (which does not always work well with all clients). There is no reason to use it and you should not do so. "I've always used it" is not a reason, never mind a good one. Use IMAP instead, and sync your mail locally.
- Protocol - POP3
- Server - mail.freegeek.org
- username - the first part of your email before the @ symbol.
- server port - 995
- Encryption - SSL
- Authentication - Plain Text
Sending mail
Inside the Free Geek network (plugged into the wired network)
NOTE: Wireless access, even when you're physically at Free Geek, is actually "outside" the network. So for wireless access, see the next section instead.
- Protocol - SMTP
- Server - mail.freegeek.org
- Server port - 25
- Encryption - none
- Authentication - none
Outside the Free Geek network (or on FG wireless)
Our SMTP server (mail.freegeek.org) is an authenticating SMTP server, this means you can send email from anywhere as log as you log in first. This works inside the network as well. You don't need to do anything special to login as your email program will take care of it as long as you give the correct username and password. N.B. this differs form the one you use to read your email. It needs the @freegeek.org part as well.
- Protocol - SMTP
- Server - mail.freegeek.org
- username - username@freegeek.org
- Server port - 465
- Encryption - SSL
- Authentication - Plain Text
NOTES:
You may receive a "greylisting" error message when sending to a freegeek address, even with your smtp server set to mail.freegeek.org. If this happens, just resend the message after 5 minutes have passed.
If you go to a location that blocks outgoing SMTP, you may not be able to send email from a mail client, though using authenticated SMTP over SSL generally still works. In these cases, you man use the web interface described above to send mail.
Misc.
To change your password, use the web interface:
Email Password Change Web Interface
Or if that doesn't work, contact Technocrats.
your address plus - mail addressed to "whoyouis+stuff@freegeek.org" will get delivered just the same as mail to "whoyouis@freegeek.org". You might use this feature to give different addresses to different sign-up services. Note: You must use a "+" sign. More information on this can be found at the Wikipedia article wikipedia:E-mail address#Plus (or Minus) addressing.