My Emacs Journey (5) - Gnus

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I had a little time to actually set up a mail server during the weekend. Something I wanted to do for long already but I keep postponing because I knew it will be a little challenging.

But now that it’s done, I can finally update my info page to add a mail contact@donovan-ratefison.mg. If you’ve got thoughts on anything here, I’d genuinely love to hear them—I’m always keen to hear what people think.

And since I had my own server, it was also a good time to dive down the rabbit hole of Emacs and include mail workflow.

I’ve explored a bit Gnus before when I was searching for RSS tools, but ended up using Elfeed because I felt a bit overwhelmed by its capabilities. It was too much for my little brain.

During his presentation on EmacsConf2025, Amin Bandali gave me the inspiration to give it a honest try. And I did!

And … it wasn’t that hard to get it working.

Everything about Gnus is … a bit weird but I won’t complain. I know I will get used to it over time. Plus, like Emacs itself, its weirdness makes its charm.

I can read, reply and send mails, follow RSS feeds and that’s enough for now. I intend to go full Gnus with my mail and RSS feeds from now on and we’ll see later how it goes.