Re: IMAP-problems

[Peter Bloomfield <PeterBloomfield bellsouth net>]

I can't address all of these issues, but here goes:

On 04/24/2003, Darko Obradovic wrote:
[ snip ]
> Still not usable the way I'd like it. Apart from the bug reports I
> made, which question the whole architecture balsa is using for the
> special folders in last consequence IMHO, there are two more things:

All special folders except Outbox can be specified as IMAP. The 
restriction on Outbox may be difficult to get around--I've never looked 
at in detail.

> directly related to that is the fact that I can't open more than 5 
> folders in a session, as Balsa opens a new connection to the server 
> for each one, and the server restricts an IP to 5 simultaneous 
> connections.

I agree: IMAP is obviously designed to work over a single connection; 
using more is just unwillingness to program a slightly more complex 
arrangement, with multiple mailbox connections handled (by no more than 
"SELECT <mailbox>"!) over a single connection.

> I read through the libmutt-docs a little, and they say they try to  
> prevent multiple connections as good as possible, but for IMAP, balsa 
> isn't using libmutt, did I get that right? One reason might be that a 
> folder marked as "Outbox" for example, will be transferred into a 
> new  single IMAP-mailbox by balsa. this triggers quite some confuison 
> and is what I mentioned up there.

No, Balsa *does* use libmutt for much of its IMAP dialog.

> The other minor thing is that the IMAP-tree is always folded when 
> starting balsa. this is quite annoying when it's my only folder at 
> all, and even if it contains subfolders I have to unfold as well by 
> hand. An option "open on launch" would be cool for an IMAP-folder. I 
> looked through the file creating the folder-pane on the left, and  
> it's full of GTK-TREE-VIEWs, but I couldn't find out what causes  
> local folders to be expanded and IMAP-folders to remain folded.

Iirc, Balsa creates a ".expanded" file in each *local* directory that 
was expanded, and uses it the next time it's started.  To include IMAP 
in the scheme, we'd have to implement something like an 
"ExpandedFolders" section in the config.  Not a show-stopper.

[ snip ]
> Actually, I'm pretty happy with the tree after having changed that 
> bool-value.  Any plans to include this in some way into the new 
> version? Options are the most flexible of course, but sane defaults 
> have their advantages as well. ;)

I have a vague recollection that the current setup was chosen in 
discussion with another user who wanted it this way--but I may be 
totally off the mark there.  Anyway, I'd like to see some discussion 
before committing it to cvs...anyone feel like offering an opinion?  
How *should* Balsa show a folder tree with a given "prefix", especially 
when the prefix is "INBOX" or "INBOX."?

> I'm really sorry I can only bug you with problems and not come up 
> with any solutions or patches, but this C-stuff is looking extremely
> unfriendly to someone used to Java...

Prolly matched only by how unfriendly Java looks to an old-time C 
hacker (sonny, I bin hack'n C since they *weren't* no `enum'...) ;-)

Peter