On Wed, 27 Jul 2005 11:20:16 +0200, Chris Green chris@areti.co.uk wrote:
On Tue, Jul 26, 2005 at 10:39:35PM -0400, Kris Boyle wrote:
- why do you think an IMAP solution is the way for you?
- provide a couple of scenarios where IMAP is the right solution and maybe a couple where it is the wrong solution:
- 1 - external access to a work IMAP server
- 2 - small home network where it has become a PIA to have email POP'd down to local clients and then it resides on one computer and the email is inaccessible from another computer.
- 3 - small business which is kinda like (2) but the business needs to backup all email (incoming and outgoing) for accountability reasons.
- 4 - web access to local server email - doe's the implementer understand firewalls and DMZ's
- 5-998 - put your email situation in here (and I don't think I have reserved enough numbers ;-)
- 999 - IMAP is cool and I am going to do it no matter what ;-)
One very important factor here is what mail client (MUA) the prospective user is going to use. One of IMAPs weaknesses in my opinion is that clients (and servers) interpret the rules in different ways such that some clients don't work well with some servers. There isn't yet one 'right' way. If there are going to be multiple mail clients then the issue gets even more complex.
Agreed, there are a couple of issues with imap and clients.
I just switched to Opera (browser with mail&news client), and while is quite interesting how it does its own automatic structuring of mails, it does not really use the imap folders as other than a source of new mails.
It wants to have its own indices and keywords on the mails, and it does not save new mails and drafts in imap folders.
Most of this is probably not dovecot-specific, and the dovecot- specific issues must have priority.
However, with ever increasing numbers of users with limited knowledge showing up on the door (the website), some basic information would be a good service and also reduce pressure on the mailing lists.
By the way, searchning around I found there is a companion protocol for storing user preferences and the like in servers. ACAP - I guess there must have been some discussion about that here before. Does dovecot plan to offer any such services?
Regards, -Enrique