[Dovecot] IMAP basics

[Curtis Maloney]

Paul Scott wrote:
> I have several POP mail accounts.  I have installed and partially
> configured Dovecot 1.0.0 on Debian sid.  I am having trouble
> understanding some of the basics.

In the chain of mail delivery, you could view IMAP as parallel to POP3.  It is a 
way for your mail client to retrieve mail from the server.  The big difference 
(as I'm sure you're aware) is that the mail _stays_ on the server.  Very handy 
if you want to read your mail from many places, or want only to backup one 
machine, or.....  meanwhile:

> For starters do I need to fetch my POP mail (fetchmail, etc.) myself?

Yes, you will still need to deliver mail to the mailbox(s) your IMAP server is 
giving you access to.  If you want to collect mail from several POP accounts, 
you will need a tool like fetchmail to do that.

--
Curtis Maloney
cmaloney at cardgate.net