Hi,
--On March 14, 2012 11:48:08 PM -0400 John C Klensin <john-ietf(_at_)jck(_dot_)com>
wrote:
Let me add to the reasons the observation that there are still
some of us who read IETF mailing lists on airplanes or in other
environments with limited, expensive, or zero connectivity. If
everything is in the email message then downloading messages
with POP3 or synchronizing a local ("offline") copy with IMAP is
easy and easy to automate. No need to read those messages at
all before heading for the airport (or whatever). If some
messages have important stuff in URL references, it creates a
nightmare because the only way to find those is to skim all the
messages before departure.
Along those lines how about setting up an IETF IMAP server with mailboxes
for each mailing list hosted by the IETF? That way anyone with a capable
IMAP client (one that can separately download text and attachments as
preferred by the user on a per-mailbox basis) can choose to sync the
messages as they prefer based on their own circumstances. What is more, if
people use the IMAP server as their main way to access to the mailing lists
there are other big benefits: the mailboxes provide a comprehensive
searchable archive of messages directly within the email client, users can
subscribe with an option to not have list email delivered to their own
account - that would remove the need to deliver lots of messages.
Yes, this would be a fairly big infrastructure change, but there are
significant benefits and flexibility to using IMAP as a shared mailing list
repository.
--
Cyrus Daboo