[Re-alpine-devel] [Alpine-info] select fails sporadically

[Mark Crispin]

On Fri, 16 Oct 2009, Jacob Wegelin wrote:

>> [1] Tolerate the problems.

>> [2] Fight it.

>> [3] Forward your mail to a working IMAP server.

>> [4] Download your mail from the broken IMAP server to a local disk file,

>>     and do all your Alpine activity on that disk file.  Alpine has a

>>     feature called "maildrops" which ought to be helpful.

> Am I correct in thinking that, under [4], my incoming mail will *only* be 

> visible by accessing the folder on my local computer (my MacBook Pro laptop)? 

> So that if my laptop gets stolen or broken, any mail sent to me since the 

> most recent backup is lost?


Correct.  [4] is basically the POP-style download-then-delete.  You may be 
surprised to know that there are still partisans of that model, and that 
15 years ago the biggest anti-IMAP effort was by those partisans.


> Currently, when my internet connection is slow, I sometimes check email 

> outside of Alpine through my university's "webmail" tool. In fact, I can 

> check my mail from any computer with internet connection in this way. If I do 

> option [4], am I correct in thinking that the only incoming emails I find 

> through a web page will be those that came to the server since the last time 

> Alpine on my laptop checked for new mail?


Also correct.


> Regarding [3]: I imagine you may have answered the following question 

> already, but where could one find a good IMAP server for [3]?


If your question is about "IMAP server implementation", then in my 
experience Panda IMAP, Dovecot, UW IMAP, Cyrus, and CommuniGate Pro are 
all suitable.

If your question is about "ISPs running a good IMAP server", then any ISP 
running a suitable implementation is suitable.

The following implementations are known to be unsuitable for various 
reasons: Novell GroupWise, Courier, Microsoft Exchange, Google GMail, IBM 
Domino, Kerio Mail Server, Axigen.  GroupWise and Courier can be coerced 
into usability with some sweat and (lots of) tears.  Exchange and Gmail 
are a continual exercise in frustration.  The others are unusable.

More information:
 	http://imapwiki.org/ImapTest/ServerStatus

The easiest way to have a good IMAP server is to have a suitable server 
installed on some always-up system under your authority.  Panda IMAP and 
UW IMAP are probably the easiest to install.

-- Mark --

http://panda.com/mrc
Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to eat for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed sheep contesting the vote.