I'm contemplating switching from a Windows world to Linux. Right now I am managing a small website that also offers an email address and webmail to its members.

The website already uses Apache, so that's not a problem moving the website to a linux box. The site's current email server (which offers POP3 and IMAP) along with webmail, however, is only designed for Windows.

In order to convert to Linux, I need an email server (and eventually a webmail client) that is linux friendly.

I'm definintely a newbie to Linux, so you'll have to pardon my ignorance...but I don't think fetchmail in combo with sendmail/postfix will work for me. The website doesn't only get mail from another server, it receives mail (i.e. the domain's MX record points to my box).

Any suggestions or recomendations would be appreciated. And thanks in advance.

# Common e-mail tools
sendmail - postfix - sends mail to local users (and internet when configured correctly)
fetchmail - gets mail from internet accounts (non-Hotmail type)
procmail - sorts and delivers into separate mailboxes
mutt - mail client that sucks less than all the others
Email the Linux Way
Suresh Ramasubramanian's email guide
The Linux Mail User HOWTO
The Linux Electronic Mail Administrator HOWTO
SquirrelMail web mail
Why use Hotmail when there is LinuxMail?
Gotmail, a utility to download mail from Hotmail type accounts

I would use Qmail for smtp and pop. If you want IMAP then courier is probably the best.