[Foss-cafe] mail filtering setup protocol

[Patrick Shanahan]

* Pupeno <pupeno at pupeno.com> [05-19-04 15:34]:
> 
> web-mail.

> With pop3, a serialized mail downloading protocol, it made sense to
> filter mails as I download them, but with imap, it doesn't make sense
> (they wouldn't end up being filtered in the web-mail). So, another
> solution is needed... I was told to use maildrop (or procmail). Ok, it
> can do the task, but it is about 1000 times harder than the user
> friendly KMail filter setup, with some effort I can do it, I know a lot
> of people that wouldn't be able to do it.  For those of use, imap ends
> up being useless.

If your only requirement is to sort to mail folders, spend five minutes
learning and looking at the procmail examples and you can do it.  It is
*not* harder than doing them in kmail, just different.  An excellent
starter tutorial maintained by Nancy McGough exists at:
  http://www.ii.com/internet/robots/procmail/qs/

> So I was thinking that imap should provide some kind of mail filtering
> setup.  That is a way that a client (like kmail, with a nice ui, or a
> web-mail) may instruct the server about what filters to apply to the
> incoming mail. What do you think ? I was told 'hell no', imap is not
> for filtering, ok... then another protocol, a separate protocol,
> another port, another server ? don't you think it'll be usefull ? Is
> there something like that implemented ?  another solution ? Thanks.

You don't say what kind of connection you have, but if it is full-time
you might consider running your own mail-server and then you would be
able to access from *anywhere* and you could use pop3 or imap, as you
desire.

You must remember that linux, for the most part, consists of many small
programs each doing one thing excellently rather than one program doing
many things with many trade-offs (the windoz way).
-- 
Patrick Shanahan                        Registered Linux User #207535
http://wahoo.no-ip.org                        @ http://counter.li.org
HOG # US1244711