Re: Gnome Mail clients (Re: Is Balsa alive?)

["Jean-Philippe Gaillard" <e970128 escp fr>]

Hi all,

Concerning a Mail client for Gnome, I would like to propose one project.
Besides, you will notice that I consider what I write here as a global
idelogical line developers should tend to follow.

A lot of people I know, and in some companies ready to switch to Linux for
the server are not ready, at no cost to give up the software they use most:
Outlook Express.
This sounds maybe simple to say, but there is more behind. Everyone having
tried this soft must admit that it is impressive.

In fact, I think making an e-mail client is a good thing, a news client too
btw; But, the real problem is that until today, linux development has more
or less been :"hey, I need this functionnality, I will do a program that
does this." ... Therefore, you had softwares which were very good sometimes.
Unfortunately, the lacked in global integration. Gnome and KDE are not
trying in my opinon to stop all these developments of small softwares but
they tend to offer to a greater part of users (insist on this term) a ready
to function, fully integrated working environment.

Having said so, I would like to point out that the good way (imho) to make a
mail soft (or news soft) in Gnome (for Gnome) is to think about the global
integration to the other elements. The starting point should always be I
guess, as being referenced by everyone, Outlook Express: What are all his
functionnalities ? How is it integrated in the rest of the Desktop (mime,
d&d, ...) I think, the guys wanting to write a valuable soft should start
implementing all these features, the way they are implemented in Outlook
Express and THEN, when all this is done, and working, make other usefull
features that would make that software different and better.

The idea is : what is existing elsewhere, analyze it, make the same but, of
course, a lot better... But it must do at least the same that all the other
softs...

I know, from endless discussion in IRC that my opinion on this matter is
probably pretty isolated, and some guys would flame me for these words. But
I do insist that Linux has one day to swith to main public and therefore the
approach of developers needs to change. I think Gnome and KDE started the
movement but they should spread somewhat more the idea of the "integration
of a ready to use, functionnal package".

Thank you very much for the time you spent reading and I do hope that this
might come in handy.

Best regards,
Jean-Philippe Gaillard