Synchronising messages with a POP3server but IMAP-like

wyo · Post by **wyo** » September 27th, 2004, 4:03 am

IMO it's time the synchronisation between a local mail account and a POP3 server is redesigned. Currently only new messages are downloaded from the server and deleted on the server according the POP3 settings. This leaves too much room for different messages count between account and server. IMO this isn't anymore state of the art for a first class mailer. Today many if not most of the mailing is done through ADSL (or similar) while the vast majority still uses POP3 accounts.

In the future the message should be synchronized so on both local and remote are the same message. The server shouldn't store locally deleted messages while still keeping any messages stored locally. Of course locally the messages may be distributed into a folder structure while remote they are kept in the inbox and the remote messages don't carry the "have read" tag, etc.

This kind of input message handling allows to use a simple POP3 account to behave rather IMAP-like. All the messages are available on any access system (home PC, laptop, office PC) without handling spam messages on each system etc. Besides this provides a very simple backup facility in case of a local system crash which a first class mailer should provide.

O. Wyss

plushpuffin · Post by **plushpuffin** » October 6th, 2004, 11:56 am

Just curious, has anyone done anything about this? I find it highly annoying because I can't use my email checking program anymore. It marks the messages as read and then Thunderbird refuses to download them

drb000 · Post by **drb000** » October 6th, 2004, 12:05 pm

Why not just use IMAP? It seems as though you understand the difference between POP/IMAP, so why spout off about how POP isn't IMAP? POP is an old school protocol and has some deep disadvatages.

plushpuffin · Post by **plushpuffin** » October 6th, 2004, 12:17 pm

My mail server doesn't have IMAP...

Anyway, as always happens when you ask for help, I figured out how to keep my messages from being marked as read. Oopsie. Thunderbird downloads fine now after my mail checker notifies me.

wyo · Post by **wyo** » August 4th, 2005, 3:27 am

drb000 wrote:Why not just use IMAP? It seems as though you understand the difference between POP/IMAP, so why spout off about how POP isn't IMAP? POP is an old school protocol and has some deep disadvatages.

Well IMAP is much more complex than POP3. POP3 has everything which is needed for mail synchronisation, it only lays in the hands of the client to use it right.