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Re: mailbox format(s)

2004-02-26 19:31:17

Users want...

* to be able to switch MUAs without losing their mail data, addressbook data, 
or other account settings. (This covers the case where the user has more than 
one MUA installed on a given machine at a given time.) On the other hand, 
they may want to have distinct accounts on distinct MUAs, so this does not 
imply that all MUAs must have the same settings. Tricky.

* to be able to export mail messages from one MUA and import them into 
another, potentially maintaining whatever "folder" structuring was present, 
as they do with .zip archives (or similar) and ordinary files. (This covers 
the case where the user wants to migrate an existing mail repository from one 
computer to another, or export a number of messages from the repository for 
archival purposes.)

I've done enough mailbox migrations that these wants are personal. They may or 
may not imply the need for a common "mailbox" format (probably better 
described as a "mail archive" format, so that implementers don't feel they 
need to store their "live" data in any particular way).

Regards,
TFBW


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