How can I access system mail in /var/mail/ via thunderbird?

I've got cron jobs sending mail to my user at /var/mail. I know how to access that at the command line with the mail command. But, while a big command line fan, I do not like reading mail (even system mail) that way.

My mail client of choice is Thunderbird. Can I read /var/mail messages in Thunderbird? How?

I'm running Ubuntu 9.04 and Thunderbird 2.0.0.24 (though I'm soon to upgraded to 10.04).

Solution 1:

In Ubuntu 10.04, with Thunderbird 3, the option is accomplished by:

1. Select Edit,   Account Settings

   

2. Choose Account Actions,   Add other account

   

3. Select Unix Spool (Movemail).

   

The UI to access this menu is slightly different in Thunderbird 2, but I didn't have it handy.

In Thunderbird 2, do the following, adapted from the Gmail FAQ:

1. Click the Tools menu, and select Account Settings..
2. Click the Add Account... button to launch Account Wizard.
3. Select Movemail from the list.