### Author:  [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2003, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-software-tips-from-linux-users/197477/1 "2003-08-25T08:10:20Z")
I’ve finally got fed-up with the crashes and decided to start using Linux as exclusively as I can. I’ll still have to use Windows for my internet bank and one or two other applications, but I can live with that if I get to use Linux the rest of the time. If it were just me I wouldn’t have a problem, but Pricegal is going to use this computer as well and while she is enthusiastic about switching to Linux (she’s tired of the instability as well) she does want everything to be graphical. I can appreciate that.
So, I need:
- A mail client with a graphical interface. I’m currently using the spam filter POPFile and would like to continue, so it would be totally swell if the mail client has a filtering function that allows you to filter mail based on nonstandard headers, like Eudora, which is what I’m using now.
- A graphical MP3 player with a playlist feature. The ideal would be as close to WinAmp as possible.
I think that’s it. I’m sure there are a bunch of Linux users hanging around here; what are you guys using?
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### Author:  [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2003, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-software-tips-from-linux-users/197477/2 "2003-08-25T10:04:04Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Priceguy \*
>
> - A mail client with a graphical interface.
There’s a grapical client called KMail, but I don’t know about its filtering options.
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### Author:  [@Skip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skip)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2003, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-software-tips-from-linux-users/197477/3 "2003-08-25T11:34:43Z")
-Mozilla’s built in mail client has quite a good Bayesian spam filter. There is a standalone Mozilla mail client called Thunderbird if you don’t want to download the whole Mozilla deal ([http://www.mozilla.org](http://www.mozilla.org))
-As for mp3 player similar to WinAmp then XMMS will suit you perfectly. It looks exactly like Winamp and can play almost any kind of file format. ([http://www.xmms.org](http://www.xmms.org))
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### Author:  [@VenusProbe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VenusProbe)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2003, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-software-tips-from-linux-users/197477/4 "2003-08-25T14:32:16Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Priceguy \*
> \*\*I’ve finally got fed-up with the crashes and decided to start using Linux as exclusively as I can. \ \*\*
What version of Windoze are you so fed up with 95? ME? I’m stuck running Bills OS till Sony ports EQ to linux. 😃 But I’ve been running WinXP for over a year and haven’t had a crash yet that was due to the OS. I have crashed it several times due to pushing the FSB to high. :smack:
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### Author:  [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-software-tips-from-linux-users/197477/5 "2003-08-25T14:47:03Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by VenusProbe \*
> **What version of Windoze are you so fed up with 95? ME?**
98, actually, but before you start calling me a troglodyte and telling me to install XP let me tell you that the crashes are just one little part of the reason why I’m switching.
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### Author:  [@pestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pestie)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2003, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-software-tips-from-linux-users/197477/6 "2003-08-25T15:24:33Z")
XMMS is an open-source UNIX/Linux MP3 (and other media) player that looks almost exactly like WinAmp.
Another vote for Mozilla Mail - I love it. I use it under Windoze as well as Linux. I use Mozilla as my primary web browser, too, and I can’t think of a single web site (including both of my banks’ online banking sites) that doesn’t work correctly with it.
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### Author:  [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-software-tips-from-linux-users/197477/7 "2003-08-25T15:33:53Z")
I use Mozilla as my mail client on Windows and that spam filter it’s got is a thing of beauty
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### Author:  [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-software-tips-from-linux-users/197477/8 "2003-08-25T16:05:51Z")
I’m not an expert linux user by any stretch of the imagination, but I have been using it on my computer since mid April.
I don’t really use a non web based mail client so I can’t say anything about the filtering capabilities of the various e-mail programs that come with my distribution.
Just about all of the distribtions come with XMMS which looks almost identical to Winamp. Note that if you choose Red Hat, you will have to download a plugin so it will play Mp3s. It is a fairly straightforward process.
A distribution like Red Hat or Madrake will have quite a few different email clients. Red hat came with Evolition email, K-Mail and Mozilla Mail.
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### Author:  [@VenusProbe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VenusProbe)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-software-tips-from-linux-users/197477/9 "2003-08-25T16:36:44Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Priceguy \*
> \*\*98, actually, but before you start calling me a troglodyte and telling me to install XP let me tell you that the crashes are just one little part of the reason why I’m switching. \*\*
Hmm… From the OP it sounded like the main reason. :dubious: and since I use the far superior UNIX OS for half of my work I wouldn’t **think** of calling you a troglodyte, that is reserved for “web developers” that use MS FrontPage!
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### Author:  [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-software-tips-from-linux-users/197477/10 "2003-08-25T17:06:56Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by VenusProbe \*
> \*\*Hmm… From the OP it sounded like the main reason. \*\*
Yeah well, this thread wasn’t intended to be a list of grievances against Microsoft. It’s not like there’s anything I can say that hasn’t been said before. I wanted to transition into the software question as quickly as possible, which is why I skipped the details.
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### Author:  [@zoltar7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoltar7)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-software-tips-from-linux-users/197477/11 "2003-08-25T18:19:27Z")
I currently use [Evolution](http://ximian.com/products/evolution/) for email. The interface is similar to Outlook. It’s from Ximian, so if it doesn’t come with your distro, you may need to install a bit of their stuff for it to work. If your distro is supported by their Red Carpet service, that’s probably the easiest way.
I’ve also used Mozilla Mail in the past. If you already have Mozilla and don’t have Evolution, I’d say try Mozilla Mail first and see how it works for you.
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### Author:  [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2003, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-software-tips-from-linux-users/197477/12 "2003-08-26T09:40:44Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by brujo \*
> \*\*Just about all of the distribtions come with XMMS which looks almost identical to Winamp. Note that if you choose Red Hat, you will have to download a plugin so it will play Mp3s. It is a fairly straightforward process. \*\*
XMMS looks great. Which of the plugins is it?
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### Author:  [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2003, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-software-tips-from-linux-users/197477/13 "2003-08-26T15:24:13Z")
> [@](#):
>
> _orginally posted by Priceguy_XMMS looks great. Which of the plugins is it?
For some reason I couldn’t find it on XMMS’s page, but i’m having trouble accessing it at the moment anyway.
[Here](http://rpmfind.net/linux/RPM/freshrpms/ayo/redhat/8.0/i386/RPMS.freshrpms/xmms-mp3-1.2.7-13.p.i386.html) is a link for the plugin. It was pretty simple to install.
Are you going to use Red Hat? If not, you may not have to worry about this. I used Mandrake for a while and its version of XMMS came ready to play MP3s.
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### Author:  [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2003, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-software-tips-from-linux-users/197477/14 "2003-08-26T15:41:35Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by brujo \*
> **Are you going to use Red Hat?**
Yup. It’s what I’ve used before, and I kinda like the Red Hat 9 screenshots.
Thanks for the plugin link.
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### Author:  [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-software-tips-from-linux-users/197477/15 "2003-08-26T17:04:14Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Priceguy \*
> \*\*Yup. It’s what I’ve used before, and I kinda like the Red Hat 9 screenshots.
>
> Thanks for the plugin link. \*\*
I’m using it right now, it’s not bad. Mandrake had some things I liked more than Red Hat but Red Hat’s update service can’t be beat. Anyhow, I’m getting used to BlueCurve.
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### Author:  [@Inoshiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inoshiro)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-software-tips-from-linux-users/197477/16 "2003-08-26T18:25:17Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Priceguy \*
> \*\*I’ve finally got fed-up with the crashes and decided to start using Linux as exclusively as I can. I’ll still have to use Windows for my internet bank and one or two other applications, but I can live with that if I get to use Linux the rest of the time. If it were just me I wouldn’t have a problem, but Pricegal is going to use this computer as well and while she is enthusiastic about switching to Linux (she’s tired of the instability as well) she does want everything to be graphical. I can appreciate that.
>
> So, I need:
>
> - A mail client with a graphical interface. I’m currently using the spam filter POPFile and would like to continue, so it would be totally swell if the mail client has a filtering function that allows you to filter mail based on nonstandard headers, like Eudora, which is what I’m using now.
>
> - A graphical MP3 player with a playlist feature. The ideal would be as close to WinAmp as possible.
>
> I think that’s it. I’m sure there are a bunch of Linux users hanging around here; what are you guys using? \*\*
Mail client - Mozilla. You can also use Netscape but don’t bother. It’s based on the Mozilla code anyway and Netscape is pretty much doomed. Which means at some point you will have to move all your stuff to Mozilla anyway.
Mp3s - \ first of all you are a dirty, evil little communist music pirate and you should be ashamed of yourself.\ 😃 Now then, XMMS is the mp3 player I use for all mp3s. It never fails.
As for distros. Mandrake is very similar to RedHat but is compiled with Pentium optimizations turned on. RedHat is compiled for the 386. Mandrake is thus probably faster. There seems to be something of a move to Mandrake as the desktop Linux option.