Set Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo or ZoHo Mail As Default Mail Application In Ubuntu 10.04

Evolution is a great full featured email client, but I don't want to use it on my netbook. It's really frustrating clicking on email links and seeing the Evolution configuration wizard pop up.

In an earlier post I wrote a guide about setting Gmail/Yahoo! as your default mail client in Firefox, but it only worked in Firefox and the settings were not used system wide. This guide will show you how to set Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo! or SoHo Mail as your system wide default mail application using an awesome program called Desktop Webmail.

To install desktop-webmail, in a terminal type:

sudo apt-get install desktop-webmail

Once installed you can find Desktop-Webmail configuration editor under Applications>Internet. Use the pull down menu to select Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail Classic UI, Yahoo! Mail Default or ZoHo Mail.

After setting your webmail prover go to System>Settings>Preferred Applications



and select Desktop Webmail as your Mail Reader.

Feeling left out because you're running an older version of Ubuntu? Gnome Gmail offers the same service for older versions of Ubuntu, only catch is that it only works for Gmail. You can download an all architecture .deb from the Gnome Gmail sourceforge site.

Gmail>Yahoo!

Have a question or problem that this article doesn't cover? Ask our Ubuntu Mini 9 Google Group for help.

Remove Mono From Your Ubuntu Install

Mono is a free and open source project led by Novell and backed by Microsoft to create an Ecma standard compliant, .NET-compatible set of tools. I have written previously about my opposition of Microsoft's involvement with the free software community.

Mono is the Trojan horse Microsoft will use to embrace, extend and extinguish free software. Removing Mono and it components is the first thing I do after a new install.

To remove Mono from your Ubuntu install, in a terminal:

sudo apt-get purge libmono* libgdiplus cli-common libglitz-glx1 libglitz1

The above command removes:

cli-common* f-spot* gbrainy* libart2.0-cil* libflickrnet2.2-cil*
libgconf2.0-cil* libgdiplus* libglade2.0-cil* libglib2.0-cil* libglitz-glx1*
libglitz1* libgmime2.4-cil* libgnome-keyring1.0-cil* libgnome-vfs2.0-cil*
libgnome2.24-cil* libgnomepanel2.24-cil* libgtk2.0-cil*
liblaunchpad-integration1.0-cil* libmono-addins-gui0.2-cil*
libmono-addins0.2-cil* libmono-cairo2.0-cil* libmono-corlib2.0-cil*
libmono-data-tds2.0-cil* libmono-i18n-west2.0-cil* libmono-posix2.0-cil*
libmono-security2.0-cil* libmono-sharpzip2.84-cil* libmono-sqlite2.0-cil*
libmono-system-data2.0-cil* libmono-system-runtime2.0-cil*
libmono-system-web2.0-cil* libmono-system2.0-cil* libmono2.0-cil*
libndesk-dbus-glib1.0-cil* libndesk-dbus1.0-cil* libnunit2.4-cil*
mono-2.0-gac* mono-gac* mono-runtime* tomboy*

This completely removes f-spot, gbrainy and Tomboy. Tomboy has a mono-free replacement, Gnote and f-spot is being replaced by the mono-free Shotwell in future Ubuntu releases.

To install Gnote, in a terminal type:

sudo apt-get install gnote

To install Shotwell, in a terminal type:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yorba/ppa

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install shotwell

I don't have a decent replacement for gbrainy.

Removing Mono will also remove any 3rd party programs you have installed that rely on Mono like Banshee, Gnome-Do and Docky.

Kupfer is an excellent replacement for Gnome-do and Avant Window Manager for Docky. Both are available in the official repositories, but I would recommend using their PPAs to get the latest updated versions.

Have a question or problem that this article doesn't cover? Ask our Ubuntu Mini 9 Google Group for help.