Re: [Evolution] Evo 2.0 + MailDir format

[Pete Biggs <pete biggs org uk>]

> Come to think about it it's really bizarre the way Evolution sets this
> up.  I mean Mail Accounts by normal definition have to do with receiving
> and sending email.  When you set up an account and go to the receiving
> tab in the dialog you are presented with a need to select the Server
> Type.  What Maildir format has to do with Server Type is beyond me.  

Why?  What you want to control is how Evo stores mail internally - and
to some extent that should remain internal to Evo.  The 'Server Type' is
so that you can retrieve mail into Evo that has been delivered into
specific format mail spools - those formats may be external to the
machine (i.e. pop, imap, etc.) or they could be internal to the machine
(i.e. mbox spool, maildir spool, etc.).  What you do with them after Evo
has got hold of them is up to you:  you can leave them in the place they
were delivered to by the MTA (i.e. leave them on the IMAP server, or
leave them in the maildir spool) or you can transfer them to somewhere
else using filters (i.e. copy your IMAP mail to the maildir spool).

What you can't do is decide how Evo stores things internally - but if
you don't like the mbox format that the developers have decided to use,
then you have two options: use the mechanisms put in place to use
external formats, or help with the development of the software to use a
different format.


> Where one could right click, bring up the context menu, and select the
> type of directory to make of a folder.  

The format that an MTA delivers mail into is not a thing that Evo can
control, it is pre-ordained by the MTA software.  The fact that my mail
software delivers to an MBOX spool is not controlled by Evo, and Evo
shouting at it that it's a maildir spool is not going to change
anything.

> It doesn't seem like the Server Type and the inclusion of these kinds of
> formats for directories in which email are saved was well thought out.  

Not 'saved', but 'retrieved from'.  I think you are confused about how a
mail 'client' interacts with a mail 'source'/'server'.

> In line with this why does Evolution show the folder or not depending on
> whether one enables the account or not?  That also seems downright
> silly.

No, it is downright a VERY good thing.  I have lots of 'identities' that
I send mail as - each one has a different 'From:' address, but all my
mail goes to one or two places - I don't want a long list of things
cluttering up my folder list, all I want to see are the things I have
enabled.


>  I mean once one has email in those folders it would seem that
> Evolution should continue to show those folders since the email is still
> there.  Whether or not the account is enabled or disabled.  But with one
> little checkmark the folder, poof, disappears from view such that one
> must remember it's there full of emails and that one must enable an
> account to see them again.  That's just silly and not well thought out
> if you ask me.  Having the enabling of a Mail Account determine whether
> a folder shows up or not is not very intuitive according the common
> understanding of Mail Accounts having to do with sending or receiving
> mail.  And not with making a folder appear or disappear again.  

I personally think that it is intuitive and things remaining visible
while they are disabled seems odd to me!  What do you think 'disabling'
something should do?  If you think that it should be just not checking
it for new mail, then you can do that elsewhere.


> What's worse is that none of this seems to be documented and users are
> left to their own devices to figure this out.  

I've really never found Evo to be a difficult thing to work out - I've
never had to even look at the help - perhaps I'm just abnormal.

P.