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Re: [fetchmail] Re: "Limit" doesn't cooperates with "flush"

2003-10-10 12:21:05
"Eric S. Raymond" <esr(_at_)thyrsus(_dot_)com> wrote:

If you removed the 'limit' option, how would one make sure that
messages > NNN bytes are not retrieved by fetchmail and instead
be deleted by the mini-client you suggested? How would this
mini-client integrate with fetchmail in daemon mode?

It wouldn't. If you're so worried about bandwidth charges that
you're refusing oversized messages, you're not running in daemon
mode anyway because

Sorry for quoting elaborately, but I don't get the meaning of your
second sentence. Is there something missing after "because"?

In any case, you may not need to worry about wasted bandwidth, but
there are still people who do. I can't quite understand why features
which existed in previous fetchmail versions are targeted for
removal even if this means a decrease in fetchmail's usefulness.

Of course, the classification "useful" depends on individual needs,
but I am certain you don't intend to maintain fetchmail to suit your
personal requirements only. As someone said before, people should be
free to use fetchmail in any way they see fit, even in situations
which you personally didn't foresee or even find awkward. In German,
there is a humorous term "eierlegende Wollmilchsau", which roughly
means "all-in-one device suitable for every purpose". If fetchmail
comes close to this ideal, even unintentionally, it would be sad to
have things stripped away.

As always, just my two cents worth.

Well, the fetchmail implementation is old enough and stiff enough to
make introducing new features problematic.

This is also true for removing existing features, isn't it? ;-)

It needs a thorough rewrite and refactoring, really.

Is this something you consider doing?

-- 
Mit freundlichen Grüßen / Yours sincerely
Dipl. Inform. Ralph Seichter

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