Need help with claws email themes or colors [SOLVED -- in a way]

Durhammer · 2025-06-11 02:36

I'm trying out claws email. It's a minor miracle that I figured out how to configure my accounts. I can see that it's pulled down all my emails but both the folders pane and the mail list (inbox, whatever) pane are pretty much all black unless I click on some otherwise unknown item. The actual reading pane is fine. In the mail list pane, messages with icons or emoticons have those visible as I scroll, but no text can be seen unless I click on something.

Any suggestions? Trying to find a lighter email client than Evolution or T-bird (or BetterBird, for that matter). I would install BlueMail, as I've used it before on Linux and it's nice, but it now only comes in a Snap package.

EDIT: "Solved" by switching to using Vivaldi browser with built-in (nice) email client. See page #7.

Last edited by Durhammer (2025-06-12 17:03)

Oconcal · 2025-06-11 02:51

Did you try Kmail (Kontact)?

I like geary:

sudo apt install geary

crosscourt · 2025-06-11 03:13

You can also install Geary from Synaptic package manager. I would second that recommendation for Geary but look at Kmail regardless.

You can also install Geary as a Flatpack using Discover, and its a good place to look around at other email apps, as they have pictures and descriptions.

Last edited by crosscourt (2025-06-11 03:21)

Durhammer · 2025-06-11 15:12

Thanks, @Oconcal and @crosscourt -- I have tried and tried and tried to get kmail configured but never could. Then again, I also had failed to get claws-mail configured and somehow stumbled on the right sauce yesterday. Likewise, I tried to get geary configured for my AOL email and couldn't. Maybe what I did for claws is the difference. Might have to try again. Last time I did try kmail, it just shut down as soon as I opened it.

EDIT: This is what happens now. I can't find where that library gets installed from.

$ kmail: error while loading shared libraries: libkmailprivate.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

EDIT2: Okay, got past that issue with "sudo ldconfig -v" but now (1) kmail doesn't show up in the menu, and (2) though it does come up when launched from the terminal ("kmail &"), it still cannot connect to the AOL servers. Aaaarrrrggghhh. Meanwhile, might again try geary.

Last edited by Durhammer (2025-06-11 16:02)

Durhammer · 2025-06-11 16:09

Okay, THIS is why I can't use geary. It does start up, and shows a dialog box saying Welcome to Geary, to get started, select an email provider below (there is no provider selection list below!). Click on its "ADD" button or pretty much anything else, and the app just closes.

$ geary &
[1] 22608
me@q4os-desktop:~$ *[wrn] 11:05:09.0269 [no domain]:AT-SPI: Could not obtain desktop path or name

*[wrn] 11:05:09.0334 [no domain]:atk-bridge: GetRegisteredEvents returned message with unknown signature
*[wrn] 11:05:09.0334 [no domain]:atk-bridge: get_device_events_reply: unknown signature
*[wrn] 11:05:09.0335 [no domain]:atk-bridge: get_device_events_reply: unknown signature
*[wrn] 11:05:09.0779 Gtk:Negative content height -5 (allocation 1, extents 3x3) while allocating gadget (node entry, owner GtkSearchEntry)

Durhammer · 2025-06-11 17:17

Okay, while I'd love to be able to use a small-footprint email client, I might just have to be satisfied with Evolution, unless my latest experiment, installing and using Vivaldi browser with its built-in email client.

When I add up all the bits and pieces of Evolution (calendar, address book, and WebKit processes), it takes up around 400 MB.

Claws email, while it's small (somewhere between 50 and 60 MB), its mail items and folders panes are unreadable and it has other quirks I don't care for.

I mostly use and love Brave browser, which right now is taking up a good chunk more RAM than Vivaldi, but (1) all I'm doing in Vivaldi is email and adding extensions, and (2) I have 8 tabs open in Brave (one being this forum). I'll have to compare them with a similar tab load. I really like Brave's privacy and adblocking filters and controls, but maybe I can get similar results with Vivaldi. Stay tuned!

Durhammer · 2025-06-12 17:02

Okay, I think my switch to Vivaldi browser will be in place for a good long trial. Its footprint is on par with Brave, it does a decent job of ad blocking, maybe not as good as Brave, but now I also have my email included in it with way more features than claws or kmail would have had, not as convoluted as Evolution, and the email footprint is simply a part of the browser footprint, not extra.

crosscourt · 2025-06-12 20:14

Glad you found something that worked but overall I think Thunderbird and Evolution are the two best stand alone email apps.

My issue with email being part of the browser is, issues with the browser can compromise your email, which has happened to me before.

My suggestion though long term is get rid of AOL and youll have far less issues with all email apps.

Durhammer · 2025-06-13 00:09

crosscourt wrote:

Glad you found something that worked but overall I think Thunderbird and Evolution are the two best stand alone email apps.

I am a long term T-bird user, but it has a nasty issue where it spikes CPU usage (thus heat, and heat is my laptop's enemy). I had switched to Betterbird, which was "OK" for a while, but eventually suffered the same issue. I had tried and not cared for Evolution, but it served the purpose and was easy to configure. I had used Vivaldi browser long ago, set up and liked the email system, but initially it had some nasty issues like automatically resending emails with pictures upon reboot/restart. I stopped using Vivaldi for several years, found and fell in love with Brave, but I knew that the Vivaldi team had and continues to make great strides in the product. I figured with this particular setup, it was worth another try. So far, so good. I do wish it had Brave's "Brave News" feature, which is a semi-configurable RSS news reader that beats most of that ilk. I also wish it had Brave's shields thing on the menu bar where you can toggle JavaScript on or off for a given site. Lots nicer than other browsers that make you chase it down in a settings exception list.

crosscourt · 2025-06-13 00:57

Thats really odd as I run Thunderbird on a variety of hardware, laptop and desktop and dont have any issues with cpu usage nor heat in my laptops. My laptops are 6-9 years old and its a must to make sure that speedstep is enabled in the bios and power settings are checked as well. Some laptops will allow you to adjust the fan curve/management plan.

Hardware acceleration in Thunderbird should also be disabled and is one of the main causes for some along with indexing. Checking the activity manager may give you an indication of whats going on. Temporary spikes though are common when doing tasks, opening up the app and searching, but as long as the cpu usage drops once activity slows or stops, thats perfectly normal. Browser based email apps tend to increase cpu usage quite a bit as well as memory usage depending on the activity.

My experience with email within browser indicates that memory usage does increase over the browser itself so Im not sure about what you described ,as that hasnt been the case for me.

That said, glad you found a solution that works for you.

Last edited by crosscourt (2025-06-13 01:47)

Durhammer · 2025-06-13 02:11

crosscourt wrote:

Thats really odd as I run Thunderbird on a variety of hardware, laptop and desktop and dont have any issues with cpu usage nor heat in my laptops. My laptops are 6-9 years old and its a must to make sure that speedstep is enabled in the bios and power settings are checked as well. Some laptops will allow you to adjust the fan curve/management plan.
Hardware acceleration in Thunderbird should also be disabled and is one of the main causes for some along with indexing. Checking the activity manager may give you an indication of whats going on. Temporary spikes though are common when doing tasks, opening up the app and searching, but as long as the cpu usage drops once activity slows or stops, thats perfectly normal. Browser based email apps tend to increase cpu usage quite a bit as well as memory usage depending on the activity.
My experience with email within browser indicates that memory usage does increase over the browser itself so Im not sure about what you described ,as that hasnt been the case for me.
That said, glad you found a solution that works for you.

Yeah, well, not able to under/over-volt or futz with the fan on my "old" Samsung RF711 laptop with its Intel i7-2630QM processor. Can't do squat, but it performs well in general. I tried all manner of things with T-Bird and it kept coming back to the CPU "spikes" (that seemed to last for hours, if not days).

Just try the Vivaldi browser with email setup for yourself. You might be pleasantly surprised. Wish Brave had an email interface like that -- I'd go back in a heartbeat.

crosscourt · 2025-06-13 02:26

Im not aware of any apps to undervolt the cpu which would really help in all aspects of the things you do with the laptop.

I get short spikes with Thunderbird but nothing that lasts very long even when Im doing quite a bit of work with it.

I7 is a great cpu but in a laptop from that era with average cooling is asking for problems.

I love Thunderbird and really dont want to switch.

Last edited by crosscourt (2025-06-13 02:57)

crosscourt · 2025-06-13 02:29

Speedstep/cpu throttling though should solve the heat issue.

Last edited by crosscourt (2025-06-13 02:57)

Q4OS Forum

#1 2025-06-11 02:36

Need help with claws email themes or colors [SOLVED -- in a way]

#2 2025-06-11 02:51

Re: Need help with claws email themes or colors [SOLVED -- in a way]

#3 2025-06-11 03:13

Re: Need help with claws email themes or colors [SOLVED -- in a way]

#4 2025-06-11 15:12

Re: Need help with claws email themes or colors [SOLVED -- in a way]

#5 2025-06-11 16:09

Re: Need help with claws email themes or colors [SOLVED -- in a way]

#6 2025-06-11 17:17

Re: Need help with claws email themes or colors [SOLVED -- in a way]

#7 2025-06-12 17:02

Re: Need help with claws email themes or colors [SOLVED -- in a way]

#8 2025-06-12 20:14

Re: Need help with claws email themes or colors [SOLVED -- in a way]

#9 2025-06-13 00:09

Re: Need help with claws email themes or colors [SOLVED -- in a way]

#10 2025-06-13 00:57

Re: Need help with claws email themes or colors [SOLVED -- in a way]

#11 2025-06-13 02:11

Re: Need help with claws email themes or colors [SOLVED -- in a way]

#12 2025-06-13 02:26

Re: Need help with claws email themes or colors [SOLVED -- in a way]

#13 2025-06-13 02:29

Re: Need help with claws email themes or colors [SOLVED -- in a way]

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