[Dovecot] Basic questions concerning mail...

[Tom]

* [16/02/2004 01:01] Joshua Goodall <joshua at roughtrade.net>:

> You need to mentally sort out the distinction between different roles
> in email systems.

Indeed. It's the reason I mailed in the first place... ;-)

> Email is originated (created) by a Mail User Agent - e.g. Mutt,
> Outlook, Evolution, Webmail.
> 
> Email is transported by a Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) - e.g. Postfix,
> Sendmail, Exim, Qmail.
> 
> Email is stored in a Message Store - e.g. Maildir, mbox, various
> custom databases.
> 
> Email in a store is made available by POP3 or IMAP servers e.g.
> Dovecot.  (or you may have direct access to the filesystem).
> 
> Finally, Email is displayed by another Mail User Agent
> (mutt/outlook/webmail).

Ah. So nothing would change, actually, by installing an IMAP server,
right? The roles played by Exim, procmail and whatever I might use
remain the same, and the IMAP server only serves (obviously, the termi
was well chosen) mail to remote users who are able to authenticate
themselves, and is thus just an extra step between stored mail and
the user (instead of just viewing mail ("direct access to the filesystem"),
I'd use IMAP to display mails somewhere else using a MUA)?

Great. I get the concept, now. It really was the kind of answer that
makes one wonder why one could not get it in the first place. :-/

Thanks a lot,
Tom

-- 
"Mongolian drivers do not care much about pedestrians."
--
np: gar nix