[Dovecot] Question about the pop3 feature "leave messages on server for a certain period of time"

[Leonardo Rodrigues]

Axel Luttgens escreveu:
>
> No, I don't think to have omitted anything: I already replied to the 
> OP wrt the 'leave messages on server' matter.
>
> Here, I was replying to Leonardo (who's not the OP) who started a new 
> idea (a potentially misleading POP vs IMAP debate) within the original 
> thread.
>

    Starting the POP vs IMAP war was not my intention and i really would 
like to say i'm sorry for that. My intention was to show the OP that, in 
the proposed scenario (same user with multiple MUAs trying to use leave 
message on server and have a intelligent behavior of that client-side 
feature), working with IMAP would a better choice (and smart one, in MY 
opinion), because keeping messages synced between several MUAs (let's 
not forget webmail is a pretty common second MUA used by users, usually 
a IMAP MUA) and server is part of IMAP protocol and does not depends on 
MUA behaviors or 'algorithms'. Everything is part of IMAP protocol, the 
$imapuser could even change MUA how many times he wants to and there 
would be no accidental loss of messages.

    Of course if some IMAP MUA has some client-side feature configured, 
like 'delete messages older than N days' configured, we can have some 
messages being deleted despite of user's will ...  but that would NOT be 
an accidental loss of messages, that would be a EXPECTED loss of 
messages because of some MUA configuration.

    All the 'leave message on server' used by POP clients is NOT part of 
the POP protocol (yes i know POP is pretty well RFC-defined, but not 
those client-side features, as well as some IMAP client-side features 
are not RFC-defined as well).

    The major problem here seems to be the fact that for the POP3 server 
(dovecot or any other), the 'leave messages on server' feature simply 
does not exists. It may be guessed by the 'RETR' not followed by 'DELE' 
which usually happens, but that would be just a guess. There's no way to 
the server to control what will happen with that client-side feature and 
different MUAs accessing the same mailbox with POP3. The proposed of 
used the expire plugin would solve a different situation, not the 
initially proposed one.

    I use IMAP4 in some situations and use POP3 in others as well. I 
think IMAP4 is a better protocol nowadays, with fast internet 
connections and storages on server becaming cheaper each day. But it 
doesnt means POP3 is dead. But in some situations, like users who really 
needs the 'leave messages on server' feature, using pop3 is not a smart 
decision anymore. Which doesnt means everybody should stop using POP3 
and changing to IMAP4 ....

    Dimitrios, i really think you'll have a hard time trying to find a 
server-side feature to control that mess of using leave messages on 
server with different MUAs by the simply fact that, in the server side, 
that thing simply does not exist.

-- 


	Atenciosamente / Sincerily,
	Leonardo Rodrigues
	Solutti Tecnologia
	http://www.solutti.com.br

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