[Evolution] Preliminary list of feature requests [Long]

["Tom Musgrove" <TomM pentstar com>]

Okay, Here is a preliminary list of the features.  They are currently
ordered alphabetically by the submitters first name.  I have trimmed the
descriptions down on them a bit.  Also, I have put questions and comments
that I had while writing in brackets [Like thus].

Please trim down the list to only the piece that is relevant to your reply
if you choose to comment,

Thanks,

Tom M.
TomM pentstar com

Also, any additional features that I may have overlooked, or that have not
been mentioned yet - please send them in.



*********Feature Request List********

Feature: Server Based email filtering
Description: Filter out content based on message size or other criteria
(I.e. scripts, executables, images, etc.) at the server
Requested by: Aaron Kemp [kempa kwic com]

Feature: Trusted/Routing Flag
Description: Option to flag emails that do not follow specified routing
information (Thus a forged email header would be more easily detectable.)
Requested by: Aaron Kemp [kempa kwic com]

Feature: Customization of alarm type, frequency and duration [Was multiple
alarms of each type]
Description: The ability to specify multiple alarms and notifications per
event
Requested by: Aaron Weber [aaron helixcode com]

Feature: Scheduling conflict notification
Description: An alarm/warning when scheduled events overlap - Three
potential states [never, only when in same calendar, even across calendars]
Requested by: Aaron Weber [aaron helixcode com]

Feature: Display html as plain text [Was turn off HTML display]
Description: Display html as plain text as opposed to with formatting,
pictures, links, etc.
Requested by: Aaron Weber [aaron helixcode com]

Feature: Menu Improvement  [Perhaps this is more of an 'interface bug'? as
opposed to feature?]
Description: "Forget Passwords" should be under "Actions", not "Tools".
Requested by: Aaron Weber [aaron helixcode com]

Feature: Full-justified email
Description: Space HTML text so that left and right margins are aligned
Requested by: Aaron Weber [aaron helixcode com]

Feature: Attach vCard [interface bug?]
Description: Easier and obvious method of attaching a vCard to an email.
Requested by: Aaron Weber [aaron helixcode com]

Feature: Contact Editor menu-bar deletion/reduction [interface bug?]
Description: The menu bar in the contact editor has a whole lot of stuff in
it.  Maybe we could scale it back or even delete it entirely.
Requested by: Aaron Weber [aaron helixcode com]

Feature: Add contact category to master list
Description: When a new contact category is added, add it to the master
contact list
Requested by: Aaron Weber [aaron helixcode com]

Feature: Bounce [Email redirection]
Description: mail is redirected to a new recipient, but maintains the
original from, reply to, and subject [for use when mail is directed to an
incorrect person...)
Requested by: David Kennelly [david kennelly kyros com];

Feature: Automatic addition of new contacts to address book
Description: When a new email or contact information is received it is
automatically added to the address book
Requested by: Chuck Fletcher [Chuck Fletcher ctw org]

Feature: Auto creation of a folder for each new contact/Auto association of
messages with a contact
Description: A new contact results in the creation of a [v]folder associated
with that contact that contains all messages to and from that contact
Requested by:  Chuck Fletcher [Chuck Fletcher ctw org]; Tom Musgrove
[TomM pentstar com]

Feature: 'Cleanup' command
Description: Filtration of messages to their associated [v]folder from the
inbox, and subsequent hiding or removal from the inbox
Requested by: Chuck Fletcher [Chuck Fletcher ctw org]

Feature: 'Smart' auto completion of email addresses
Description: auto completion of email addresses- [preferred, only auto
complete at the first difference, or 'the most frequent used address'...]
Requested by: Jeffrey Stedfast [fejj stampede org]; Gregory Leblanc
[GLeblanc cu portland edu]

Feature: Follow-up/Reply reminder
Description: Flag a message to the todo list or calendar for a follow up or
reply at a later specified [or default] date/time
Requested by: Guy Steven [rgs etive southern co nz];  Tom Musgrove
[TomM pentstar com]


Feature: html or image signature file
Description: Have the option of using html or an image for your signature
file
Requested by: Jean-Michel Ardantz [jardantz ifrance com]

Feature: Spell checking of email addresses
Description: If an address does not match any of the addresses in your
contact book, a confirmation popup occurs that offers alternative address
choices that you may have meant.
Requested by: John [jsk29 cornell edu]

Feature: "tone down" quoted text
Description: Match quoted text from previous mail messages, and italicize
it, or gray it, so that new text is more prominent.  Allowing for fast
scanning of new text.
Requested by: Justin Mason [jm jmason org]

Feature: allow message to be retitled
Description:  Allow editing of the subject line to a new subject when
replying
Requested by: Justin Mason [jm jmason org]

Feature: Allow display of message body in proportional font
Description:  [Please redescribe, I don't understand your description...]
Message text is normally plain text, with very little ASCII art involved.
I've been reading messages in ExMH with Verdana for the last year, and it's
much nicer and easier to read.
Requested by: Justin Mason [jm jmason org]

Feature: Quick multiselect of messages
Description: Key bindings to quickly select a range of messages, and
deselect unwanted messages
Requested by: Justin Mason [jm jmason org]

Feature: Quick method for deleting messages
Description: keybinding (suggested is 'd') to mark current message/selected
messages for deletion
Requested by: Justin Mason [jm jmason org]

Feature: Key bindings
Description: allow user defined key bindings for all actions
Requested by: Justin Mason [jm jmason org]

Feature: User configurable display attributes for mail states
Description: mail states such as read, marked for deletion, mark for follow
up, etc. could be configured to correspond to a font, color, or other
display option of the users choice, as opposed to default behavior (such as
strike through for delete.)
Requested by: Justin Mason [jm jmason org]

Feature:  Associate/attach mail message or thread to a to-do or calendar
item
Description: The ability to reference a mail message or thread to a to-do
item, or calendar item [probably via right clicking on the thread or
message...] in order to maintain context for the item
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]; Justin Mason [jm jmason org]

Feature: allow custom colorization of messages for categorization and
prioritization of mails
Description:  Use colorization (via either filtration or manual selection)
to categorize and prioritize mail
Requested by: Justin Mason [jm jmason org]

Feature: email tracking
Description: Server or client based confirmation of message sending and
receipt
Requested by: Marchione, Thomas [TMarchione sequoianet com]

Feature: Macro/Graphical reply builder from user defined generic paragraphs
Description:  The ability to quickly compose responses to common questions
and enquiries with a selection of user defined 'stock paragraphs'.  Response
specific data would be autofilled [i.e. name and date information] or
entered by user when needed.
Requested by: Mark Tearle [mtearle tearle com]; Tom Musgrove
[TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Group scheduling and scheduling conflict detection
Description:  A method for automatically factoring in scheduling priorities
and previous commitments of all members in the group, and possibly
automatically scheduling in the case of no scheduling conflicts
Requested by: Mark Tearle [mtearle tearle com]; Tom Musgrove
[TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Relevancy/Importance Scoring
Description: Mail that meets certain user defined attributes gets assigned a
score.  The more positive the score, the more likely it is that the mail
will be worth immediate attention.
Requested by: Miguel de Icaza [miguel helixcode com]

Feature: User level settings
Description: Dialogs, features, and general complexity are available based
upon the user level, thus dialog boxes for power users  will immediately
show the numerous configurable options, where as less sophisticated users
will be presented with a simpler choice that is set with intelligent
defaults.  Allowing the more complex choices to be accessed via another menu
selection. [I would suggest implementing this via a box that drops down
below the standard dialog/option window when the user hits a widget (the
triangle arrow widget that rotates from sideways to down seems to work
really well for this...)]
Requested by: Miguel de Icaza [miguel helixcode com]

Feature: Filter - Mark As Read
Description: Mark a mail as read based on filter criteria
Requested by: Misty Linville [misty cybersource com]

Feature: plain-text headers
Description: Put the header as TEXT at the top of the message instead of
that box that makes the header impossible to paste.
Requested by: Misty Linville [misty cybersource com]

Feature: Expunge-All
Description: Let me expunge all messages I've deleted, in ALL folders, in
one swell foop
Requested by: Misty Linville [misty cybersource com]

Feature: Delete sends to trash
Description: Deleting a message sends it to the trash and hides it from the
current mailbox instead of doing a strike-through of the message
Requested by: Misty Linville [misty cybersource com]

Feature: Printing Emails  [This is more of a bug/major standard expected
functionality..., and probably shouldn't go on this list]
Description: Let me print my email from the file menu
Requested by: Misty Linville [misty cybersource com]

Feature: Export to text
Description: Let me export my mail to a text file
Requested by: Misty Linville [misty cybersource com]

Feature: Automatic opening of 'bounced' messages to be resent
Description: When a message is received from a mailer daemon/post master,
the original message could be automatically brought up and request the
correct email address.
Requested by: Nathan Straz [straznp clarkson edu]

Feature: Non-blocking sending of mail [Could you better describe
'blocking'?]
Description: I am using sendmail over a dialup, and when I send an email,
sendmail does a DNS lookup.  Evolution blocks until sendmail returns.
Annoying if the line is busy etc...
Requested by: Rob Brown-Bayliss [rob ZOOstation cc]

Feature: HTML Stationary
Description: Pre-configured HTML files to act as a template for email.
Requested by: Rob Brown-Bayliss [rob ZOOstation cc]

Feature: Virus Jokes  [This is questionable that this should really be in
here, especially if we would like to use this survey beyond the current
mailing list...]
Description: When an email with suspect vbs code arrives in the
box have an animated paper clip pop up and make fun of it's self...
Requested by: Rob Brown-Bayliss [rob ZOOstation cc]

Feature: Delete From Vfolder
Description:  Messages in a vFolder should be markable for deletion [and
thus hidden from the current vFolder (and possibly expungable if they don't
conflict with other filters...) - possibly have an option to 'mark all
instances for deletion'?]
Requested by: Rob Brown-Bayliss [rob ZOOstation cc]

Feature: GNOME compliance
Description: Recognize gnome user settings and follows them.
Requested by: Rob Brown-Bayliss [rob ZOOstation cc]

Feature: Configure threads as 'non-expanded' by default
Description: have a menu option where threads are not expanded by default
Requested by: Robert Mibus [mibus bigpond com]

Feature: Access web based mail boxes via Evolution
Description: Download and upload mail to/from hotmail, yahoo, excite, and
other web mail clients via Evolution
Requested by: Sheldon Easterbrook [sheldie hotmail com]

Feature: Contact/Employee skill and attributes
Description: Assign and rank skill and attributes to team members and
employees, to simplify task assignment and delegation
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature:  Task Delgator
Description: Assignment/Delegate tasks to employee and team members based on
their skills and attributes, when going to assign a task, the task type
would be selected by the user, and then a list of those capable of doing the
task would be presented based on previously assigned skills and attributes
(Additional attributes, such as availability for the task would likely also
be presented...)
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Task Prioritizer and Scheduler
Description:  Schedule and allocate time for tasks based on attributes such
as due date, estimated time for completion, priority, and person the task is
assigned to.  Low priority/value tasks could be flagged for
deletion/rescheduling if higher tasks take priority.  Tasks that have rigid
time requirements would be scheduled around.  Other considerations would be
the users 'preferred' times for certain tasks, tightness of schedule, degree
of difficulty of overlapping tasks, and schedules of others involved in the
project.  The proposed scheduling alternatives would be presented to the
user based on the above criteria, as well as suggested task reschedulings
(for low priority high flexibility tasks) from which the user could then
select.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Followup
Description: A method for flagging a task/project/assignment/todo for action
at a later date (milestone or due date, etc.).  (Frequency of follow up
could be based on employee reliability, complexity of the task, and its
priority, etc.)
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Interviewer
Description: A set of dialogues that would find out a users experience/skill
in different operating system environments, contact managers,  optimal work
hours, common daily work hours, outside time commitments, type of work that
the
individual does, etc.  Evolution would then be reconfigured based on the
user preferences and experience/skill.  A description of features available
and differences and similarities compared to other contact managers they
have used would be explained.  (Daily hints would likely also be based on
the interview...)
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: User defined pull down lists (and list elements)
Description: Additional attribute selection lists and list elements could be
user defined for contacts, employees, etc.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: User defined free text fields
Description: Additional description and free text boxes for describing
nonlist attributes for contacts [This differs from notes, in that this can
be a specific type of note that is common to all of ones contacts or a group
of contacts.  For instance, I might wish to attach a 'job performance' note
to my employee group/contacts, or a 'sales relationship' note to clients, or
a 'project description' note to all projects, etc.]
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Command Line widget
Description: A widget that is like the command line to IRC clients.  It
could be similar to vi/emacs command mode in action, and would allow
scripting and other abilities that are not easily replicated in a pure gui,
yet don't require a full terminal.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: One to many relationships for todos, contacts, projects, emails,
etc.
Description:  Allow todos, etc. to be related back to numerous other
contacts, projects, and todos.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Automatic remote backup of mail [and other documents/information]
Description: Automatic storage of email folder, contacts, etc. to a server
and/or remote storage [i.e. the free storage that is available on the net]
(mostly for those without IMAP, but also for simple, fast, and effective
backups of critical data for those without administrators...)
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Document management and tracking
Description: Store summary information about non email documents for rapid
searching and retrieval (I.e. wordproccessor documents, faxes, scanned
documents, taxes and financial documents, etc.)  Also, provide an indexing
method (with numbered label printing) for nondigital documents, so that
paper documents and books can be filed numerically and found via a single
search method.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Autogenerate vFolders based on frequent words/topics
Description:
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Script evaluation
Description: Check scripts for 'dangerous' commands such rm, cp, mv
/dev/null, etc. and report there presence and potential harm to the user.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Export filters [should possibly be separate for each format...]
Description: Export mail and contact filters to various proprietary and
nonproprietary formats.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Caller ID launches associated contact
Description: Incoming calls whose information is associated with a contact
would automatically launch that contact for data entry. [really nice for
sales, secretaries, and techs.]  For an unknown contact a new contact would
be launched (or the number could be associated back to a current contact).
For multiple contacts at the same number, a selection dialog for which
contact to choose would launch.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Cooperative/Timed mail checking
 Description: For companies checking mail from a central server, or over a
group over a slow connection, the clients could be staggered so that only a
portion of the clients check there mail at the same time.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Multicopy/paste
Description: Copying of disparate chucks of information can be stored to
multiple copying buffers, so that changing be between documents numerous
times is not required (this would be more appropriate for Gnome itself, as
opposed to application specific...)
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: User based signature file
Description: Different signature files could be associated with different
contacts or groups of contacts.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Rotating signature file
Description: Have multiple signature files, which are chosen in alternation
or at random
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Smart email recognition
Description: Recognize trivial email variations (TomM pentstar com,
tomm pentstar com, TomM Pentstar com) and query if they should all be
associated with the same contact and recognized as equivalent.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Duplicate/Smart contact recognition
Description: Recognize minor name variations (Tom Musgrove, Thomas Musgrove,
Tom M. Musgrove, Tom M.) and query if the email addresses, and other contact
information should be merged to a single contact.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Geographic/Time zone mapping
Description: Associate Zip codes to physical map locations
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Mapquest.com/Mapblast.com/etc query
Description: Clicking on a contact (after the proper menu selection..) will
launch a query as to driving directions, location, etc to the specified maps
site.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Attach groups of contacts
Description: Allow attaching multiple vCards by selection of a group (or
even the entire contact database)
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Remote/local Synchronization
Description: allow contact, project, and other information to be remotely
(or locally) synchronized with other contact managers.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Day planner printing
Description: Have printing of contact data, calendar, and other data for the
standard day planners.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Day planner viewing
Description: Have interfaces that mimic the standard day planner layouts on
screen.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Interface clones
Description: Have interfaces that clone other popular contact managers such
as Act! 2000
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Fax support
Description: Have fax sending, receiving, and composing supported
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Mail merge
Description: Support merges of names and other information into emails,
faxes, and for regular mail and labels
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Label printing [Probably should be a bonobo, so it can be used with
AbiWord...]
Description: Support printing of contact information to all of the standard
label papers (mostly Avery)
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Fuzzy searching (allow misspellings on searches...)
Description: Searches should allow the option of finding 'near hits', which
is useful when the searcher (or person who wrote the message), have poor
spelling.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Synonym searching (different word same meaning)
Description:  The search engine could have the option of returning words
that are synonyms to the word being searched for (thus searching for dog
might return doberman and huskie).  Very useful when you can remember the
subject but not the specific terminology used by someone else
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Clustering analysis
Description: words (and their synonyms) can be analyzed to find patterns in
your communications and help to create logical vfolders and other groupings.
This can also help to do data discovery, (via choosing messages similar to
your target, and then analyzing its clusters)
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Outlier analysis
Description: The opposite of clustering, it finds data, messages that have
little relation to other communications, which tend s to be valuable
information.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Voice integration/dictation support
Description: Support for one (or more) of the Free (speech and beer) voice
software packages.  (or even the free beer package viavoice)
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Out of order searching
Description:  Allow searching for words that are in the wrong order relative
to their entry
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: abbreviation symbol search recognition
Description: Support searches where people spell out or abbreviate common
words, but they are not spelled out/abbreviated in the entry.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Partial completion of todos
Description: allow progress indication for a todo
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Todo subtasking
Description: Allow todos to be further broken down into multiple subtasks
[probably just do a threading/nesting implementation]
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Command summary card
Description: Have a printable sheet/card that lists/summarizes the various
command associated with different parts of the interface, similar to the
laminated summary cards that are available on various college courses.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Duplicate message filter
Description: Have messages that I am CC'd as well as receiving to a list be
filtered into a 'potential duplicates' box
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Frequent contact list
Description: Persons that one emailed frequently would be added to this list
automatically based on their frequency of email  traffic from you, (or
alternatively, by doing a right click to add them to the list..)
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Recent contact list
Description: Persons emailed would be added to a recent contact list, from
which they would be removed after a user defined time if they were not
contacted again - thus one would have a contact list that didn't have
'stale' contacts but would be people you are currently communicating with,
but which might not be frequent contacts.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Smart message retrieval
Description: allow options such as leaving attachments on the server until
smaller messages have been downloaded (so that the attachment can download
in the background, while the other messages are being responded to).  Also,
support for downloading 'important' messages first, based on Miguels
'scoring criteria'.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Resume message downloading
Description: On slow connections, large messages/attachments can frequently
time out before the message is completely downloaded.  I would like to
resume downloading the message instead of having to restart from the
beginning.
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Summary display of 'new text only'
Description: When a message has a lot of quoted text, I would like to see
only the new text in the summary window (or a minimal amount of context
alternatively..)
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Action/Time log
Description: logging of time and activities done during that time
Requested by: Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Sorting of emails by first or last name or email address
Description: The ability to sort on the first or last name of a person or
other specified ordering criteria.
Tom Musgrove [TomM pentstar com]

Feature: Palm Pilot synchronization (and other Personal organizers)
Description: allow synching of information to and from palm pilots and other
personal organizers
Requested by: Numerous people

Feature: Mail format compatibility with Mutt and other email client
Description: Adjust evolutions mail format so that it can be read by mutt
and other common email clients
Requested by: Numerous people

Feature: Remote access via terminal or xserver
Description: The ability to access evolution remotely.
Requested by: Numerous people

Feature: Seamless GnuPG, PGP and other encryption support
Description: Automatic Decryption of incoming PGP and GnuPG messages,
automatic encryption to users which have GnuPG or GPG enabled.
Requested by: Numerous people

Feature: Interoperation with Proprietary groupware servers (MS Exchange,
Lotus Exchange, etc.) [possibly should be split out, so that we can find the
desire for each type of server...]
Description: Design evolution to use the advanced proprietary protocols of
the above groupware servers.
Requested by: Numerous people

*****End Feature Request List*******
Okay, that does it for a preliminary list, I'll be organizing them according
to component/functionality category next as well as weeding out/merging
duplicates.  Please contact with any additions or clarifications that you
think are necessary.

Tom M.
TomM pentstar com