ElectronMail client for ProtonMail

The free version of ProtonMail is limited to 500MB storage. But there is no native tool to bulk download email to make more room, heck not even an easy way to delete email. It offers IMAP but only on paid accounts. Obvious intentional incentive to upgrade to paid account....

Well ran across a third party open source client for ProtonMail. Its basically a version Chromium browser locked to ProtonMail portal, with added goodies. It has two modes, first is basically the ProtonMail webpage though gotta say it loads almost immediately. Slower access on regular browser. Other is optional way to download the email in organized way locally on computer. It also can be searched, the free version Proton limits search to headers, not text body.

Now bad news, so far I cant get it to work on linux. it installs (tried appimage and deb versions), but only get black screen with the little yellow box at top with my email address and a LOCKED padlock shown. Switch to local store version and it has eternal green bar on white screen showing "data loading" though its not downloading anything.

Now I at first thought it was upset with my IPtunnel web connection, but tried the windows version. Installed in win10LITE with same connection. Bingo it works. Proton webpage opens immediately with my email address shown in little yellow box and an UNLOCKED padlock shown at top screen. I let it download my email, it did so, albeit slowly. I assume it downloads email by email as is allowed manually on Proton web portal rather than downloading a database. Thus slow. But it did it and not in unreasonable time. Download is automated and it organizes it well. Gives option to show by time or nested by thread. Proton web portal only shows nested. I am very pleased about the local backup and extra functionality. But its win10, bleh.

So I assume there is some encryption thing on linux version? Meaning difference of locked and unlocked padlock shown. I found pics online showing linux version with unlocked padlock and the Proton webportal. I however cant find a way to toggle it on/off or get it to tell me what it wants. Also being a very limited interest app, not finding lot info online, and whats there is for older versions. Suppose I will have to signup on Github and try to get developers attention. I suspect its some stupid trivial thing that I am just not seeing.

Oh I tried installing the windows version in WINE. First time I wasnt online and WINE telling me it couldnt download some needed windows library so I would have to do so manually. At that point it would put up the black screen with bunch errors. So being lazy I reinstalled it, this time online so it could install that library. Downloaded what it needed, but then... Nope, nada, nothing, wont even show the black screen. Just doesnt run at all. Uninstalled it, reinstalled it, ... several times. Nope, nada, nothing. Too bad.

Now nice thing I can export the downloaded email from the app on windows. Sure I could then use some mini email client to show it on any system. Still annoying the ElectronMail isnt working in linux. Does it need some special encryption thing installed? I cant be only person running into this. Hmm, maybe install regular chromium browser and see what happens? I just dont have unlimited data to download stuff to experiment. ElectronMail is not small download and already have three versions. Going half a month on throttled data not fun.

Ok found an old complaint for v4 of ElectronMail. https://github.com/vladimiry/ElectronMail/issues/237  User with Easytether complaining of the black screen.  Developer blames it on Chromium browser.  He uses part of Chromium for ElectronMail.  I dont think so, least I have never had a problem with Chrome/Chromium browser used as a browser on tethered computer.  Anyway the problem obviously still there in v5.  And it works fine with same tethered connection in windows version.

Found android app that claims it can create a hotspot on an unrooted Android phone where native hotspot app locked.  Well put it this way, from what I can tell, it fails in linux.  I couldnt find wifi adapter for windows so dont know if it works in windows.

But it did create enough of a wlan network to trick ElectronMail into showing the Proton login screen.  Idea!

Used create_ap script to create a local adhoc wifi network.  Nothing connected to it, and no internet, but it does show as a live wifi network while system tethered to phone with Azilink.  ElectronMail doesnt know anything about the IPtunneling Azilink and Easytether do.  But it saw the live adhoc wifi network and just assumed that was a recognized internet connection.  So it showed the login page, logged in and showed mail over the tethered connection.  Sure it would started downloading mail if I left it.  

Ok, can we all say STUPID!  There just is no reason for silly test like this.  Either there is a system internet connection or there isnt.  If there isnt, then it will fail... DUH!  To try and preguess if there is a connection is pointless.  Also makes it painful to use ElectronMail in linux while tethered.  Oh I can make a script but its just so pointlessly stupid to have to do it this way.

Oh here is the github page with create_ap https://github.com/oblique/create_ap  You can download and make-install, but its just a script controlling hostapd.  Here is the script in case it ever disappears:

EDIT: Ok forum says too long of a quote, so guess if it disappears from github, its gone.  Such a useful tool, sure it will be around for while yet.

Just create /usr/bin/create_ap file and paste the script in it and then make it executable.  There you go, if all the dependencies are already installed, Bobs your uncle.  It mostly needs hostapd which should be available in any repository.  The script just makes setting up adhoc network or sharing of internet connection far easier than doing it manually.  IMHO should be in every linux distribution by default.  Its that handy.  There is now even a gui version, link to it on github page above.