Ixbiff blinks the keyboard LEDs when new mail arrives. The keyboard LEDs used depend upon the daemon's configuration.
For obvious reasons only three mailboxes can be checked.
Currently, ixbiff is Linux specific and requires root access.
Ixbiff supports the standard UNIX mbox format as well as qmail's Maildir format.
Garrett M. tells us:
It's an inbox monitor but, here's the cool part: your keyboard LEDs
light up when you get new mail (awesome).
Way cool.
More information on this package can be found on the Debian web site.
(If there is a package you would like to see featured here, go to the userinfo page and follow the directions there to submit your entry.)
Hey kids! Did you know you can read
August 13 2004, 08:20:49 UTC 7 years ago
August 13 2004, 08:39:24 UTC 7 years ago
(waits to be told that that app exists)
August 13 2004, 10:00:41 UTC 7 years ago
Morseing on the keyboard LEDs is a classic hack. See e.g. the famous Morse kernel panic module.
August 13 2004, 09:53:20 UTC 7 years ago
August 14 2004, 05:13:35 UTC 7 years ago
GAI LEDs is compact http://gai.sourceforge.net/applets.h
led_applet is stylish http://mfcn.ilo.de/led_applet/
(Yes I realize this defeats the point.)
August 14 2004, 07:53:31 UTC 7 years ago
Useless
It may be useless when you're staring at your screen constantly, but if you ever walk away and the screensaver kicks in, a quick glance at the keyboard leds could let you know if you should bother sitting back down to check your mail.Anonymous
August 18 2004, 02:18:08 UTC 7 years ago
I use this and love it
I have a PC in the lounge for mp3/video and a the house router/firewall. Alot of he time the monitor is asleep or has the screen saver on with photos. This app combined with fetchmail lets me know when I have new mail.The only downside is it really hard to ignore new mail. If I'm sitting on the couch reading a book and listening to music, and the lights start flashing its really hard to ignore the new mail. :) Good spam filters are essential if you don't want to constantly frustrated.
Elvis
Anonymous
November 25 2004, 15:21:19 UTC 7 years ago
Re: I use this and love it
My IBM Thinkpad T22 would go wonky and occasionally insert numbers into whatever I was typing when the num lock led was flashing. (This applied to the embedded number pad keys, which are7890
uiop
jkl;
m,./
on the T22.) Similarly, bad things would happen when the caps lock key was flashing. The scroll lock key was (and still is) relatively benign, but about daily I seem to lose control of the keyboard.
Now I wonder if ixbiff is controlling more than just the leds, or perhaps i am accidently hitting these keys and am unable to tell because ixbiff is masking the leds. My gut tells me that ixbiff is doing more than just turning on and off the lights because i have a strong memory of the problem occuring only at the instant that the led was on.
I will try again, and I may try to physically block the keys to give ixbiff a chance to redeem itself.
If someone can devise a good way to suspend ixbiff to see the true state of the leds, please do not be bashful.
If someone can demonstrate that this program affects the Thinkpad or other PCs in ways not experienced by still other PCs, please, let's hear it!
Thanks,
bkm
pdx, oregon, usa
Anonymous
December 6 2004, 11:01:02 UTC 7 years ago
Re: I use this and love it
Uggh, it was worse than I had remembered. I turned off ixbiff completely, and have not lost control of the keyboard, since. ixbiff and the thinkpad t22 are a no-op at this timebkm
pdx, oregon, usa