The e-mail module of the KDE control center allows you to enter and save some basic e-mail information. This information is used when performing functions related to e-mail within KDE, for example, when sending bug reports from the KDE crash handler application.
Programs such as KMail, which are used for reading and sending e-mail, offer many more options for customizing the way in which e-mail is handled. These options depend upon the specific program being used. KMail, for instance, offers its own configuration facilities.
Some of the information needed for configuring e-mail should have been provided by your internet service provider (ISP). If you are connected to a local network, then the system administrator of your network should be able to help you.
There are four areas of configuration in this module. To help you get started, some of the fields are automatically filled in using the login information on the system. Looking at the page from top to bottom, these areas are:
Details for the user currently logged in.
In the text box labeled Full Name, type your full name as you would like it to appear in the e-mail messages that you send. If you work for a company or organization, you can enter its name in the text box labeled Organization.
To be able to use e-mail, you must enter your e-mail address in the text box labeled e-mail address. If replies to your e-mail messages should be sent to a different address, you can enter that address in the text box labeled Reply Address. Usually, however, this text box should simply be left blank, and replies will go to your e-mail address as typed.
The names of the servers which send and receive e-mail for you, and the login information for these servers.
If you are connected to a local network, and e-mail is handled by the network, you probably won't need to do anything to configure the server.
Your ISP should have given you a user name and a password to log into the e-mail server. Often, the user name is the same as the part of the e-mail address that comes before the "@" character.
In addition to your user name and password, you will also need to enter the name of the mail servers which send and receive e-mail for you. Sometimes, the same server is used for both, but more often than not, your ISP gives different host names for sending and receiving. The outgoing host may be called the "SMTP server", while the incoming host may be called the "POP server" or "IMAP server".
The internet protocol used by the server which receives e-mail for you.
Your incoming mail server may use either the IMAP or the POP3 protocol for e-mail messages. Again, your ISP should have provided this information. If you are connected to a local network which handles your e-mail for you, select "Local Mailbox" instead.
The e-mail program which you use to send and receive e-mail (there may be more than one available on your system.)
The default e-mail program is KMail, but you can change this either by typing the name of the program in the provided text box, or by clicking on the "Browse..." button, and selecting the program using the dialog box that pops up.
If the program you want to use for e-mail is a console or text-based application (for example, the Pine e-mail program), check the "Run in terminal" option.