[NCLUG] Setting up a second computer

[Bob Proulx]

Hi Kerry,

Kerry Miller wrote:
> I have a LAN in my home and I want this computer to be able to send 
> messages as well as the other computer.  Please reply so I may add this 
> address to this computer's email address book.

A couple of points.  And don't let me sound too harsh.  I don't want
to be.  I am just going to make comments.  :-)

If you computer is on the lan then there isn't anything stopping you
from sending mail from both machines.  I routinely switch between my
laptop and desktop for example and both send email just the same as
the other.  Just send email.

But asking people to send you an email so that you can add them to
your contacts list is going too far.  That is moving the burden of
something you should be doing and putting it upon other people.  That
is always bad.

And it is completely unnecessary.  There is absolutely no reason to
need to get an email in order to simply add it to your contact list.
You can simply add it to your contact list yourself.  If you can send
email then you can manage a contact list.

You appear to be using Thunderbird.  That's fine.  Thunderbird has the
capability to export the contact list.  One thing you might do is to
export the contact list from your first computer and then import it
into your second one.  I don't use Thunderbird myself but there are a
lot of helpful tutorials and walkthroughs on the web about it.

But I think you are heading down a road that is going to be trouble in
the future.  You are going to need to figure out how you are going to
read email on two different Thunderbird instances.  Most people (not
me, I am not most people) use a single IMAP server.  The mail stays on
the IMAP server and then Thunderbird simply interfaces to it.

Maybe someone can suggest an easy setup for an imap connection to the
comcast mail servers that would work well for you?  I am not a comcast
customer, and don't use thunderbird, so am not going to be much there.

Bob