http API for IMAP

[Ralph Seichter]

* Thomas Güttler via dovecot:

> Most people use http based APIs today.

And what makes you think that? Who is "most people", exactly? From my
experience over the last 35 years in the business, there is no clear
indication that HTTP-based APIs will dominate in the future. SMTP and
IMAP have been named dead or dying for so long that I forgot to keep
track, but they still work today, although modern designs would look
different.

> Quoting this answer: https://stackoverflow.com/a/46886237/633961

And how is that related? SmtpJS is just one example of how the goal can
be achieved if one is hell-bent on using JavaScript. You can write your
own proxy service if you like. Check out RFC 6455 et al. This does not
make using HTTP a smart choice in my book.

If one wants to use a web browser and/or smartphone as a client to
access mail, there are various good solutions available. To name just
two examples: RoundcubeMail just released version 1.4 with "responsive"
UI, and there is SOGo with its AJAX-based UI. To me, rewriting all the
functionality in JavaScript, especially when aiming to avoid the
protocol specifically designed to access mail storage backends, is just
not an idea worth pursuing.

> The above line is from you. Should I repeat it?

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." (R. Butler, 1939) :-)

-Ralph