Thunderbird supports SPECIAL-USE (Merry x-mas!)

[Patrick Ben Koetter]

I've waited about two years to write this mail... :)

As of Dezember, 24th Mozilla Thunderbird can handle SPECIAL-USE. The patch,
which adds the required functionality, has passed review and TBs nightly build
was successful. The next official Thunderbird release (version 38, release
date 2015-05-19) will very likely ship SPECIAL-USE included. \o/

SPECIAL USE is an IMAP extension. It means less mailbox chaos for admins. But
more than that it means less configuration work and easier orientation for end
users.

If IMAP server and client are capable of SPECIAL-USE [1] the server may tell
the client some of the folders (Inbox, Drafts, Sent, Trash etc.) are reserved
for SPECIAL-USE.

Any client, capable of SPECIAL-USE, may adapts its local folders to the
servers view. It may map e.g. "Sent Items" to "Sent", "Deleted Items" to
"Trassh" etc. pp. All this takes place automatically. No more user
interaction. No more locale problems. 

When all components - server, desktop-, webmail-, and mobile client - can
handle SPECIAL-USE live becomes easier. Clients don't create their own
'special folders'. They understand special folders already exist and adapt. No
more superfluous ambiguous folders. Users will know where their messages have
been stored.

    Note: Combined with automx [2] users will only have to enter their
    realname, mail address and (optional) password and their client will setup
    all the rest automatically.

SPECIAL-USE started as a suggestion to friends at IETF. We sponsored its
implementation in Dovecot [3], when it had become a RFC standard. Then we took
out to bring it to Thunderbird.

This took use longer than expected. The moment we had begun to work on it,
Mozilla withdrew most people from the Thunderbird team and reassigned them to
Firefox OS. Things slowed down significantly and Microsoft Outlook became the
first mail client to adopt SPECIAL-USE. Two years later - together with Ben
Bucksch (Thunderbird developer) - we finally succeeded and it is about time to
close the RFE [4].

Nobody should have to spend more time than required to configure their client.
Everyone should be able to focus on their primary goal - communication via
mail.

We - sys4 and our business partner Becon - sponsored SPECIAL-USE. I hope
SPECIAL-USE will make your and your customers life easier. The patch just
became ready for x-mas. :)


p at rick


P.S.
Unpacking the gift will have to wait until 2015-05-19. ;)


[1] IMAP LIST Extension for Special-Use Mailboxes
    <http://tools.ietf.org/rfc/rfc6154.txt>

[2] automx - mail setup made easy!
    <https://automx.org/>

[3] Mailbox settings
    http://wiki2.dovecot.org/MailboxSettings

[4] Bug 558659 - (RFC6154) Support IMAP LIST SPECIAL-USE (RFC 6154) to
    autoconfigure Sent, Trash, Draft folders on IMAP servers
    <https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=558659>

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