[REBOL] Re: Shall we code a mail client?
From: acme:verio at: 15-Aug-2001 19:01
Hi all,
I've been hoping/wishing I could write web-based email in rebol, but with
other features. The biggest problem in a cooperative project might be in
deciding which features to add. High feature modularity, or at least
starting out with bare bones features might be the only way to start.
Sometimes I feel so enthusiastic about the potential here, I'm afraid
everyone could take off in their own direction, missing out on some
important benefits of cooperation and standardization.
Features I wish I could have in a rebwebmail service:
* Multi-user configuration, so that I could provide clients (and family and
friends) with their own webmail services. Success here alone could lead to
widespread adoption by other webmasters, corporations, and ISPs.
* Delete, view (perhaps thumbnail), download, or forward each attachment
individually.
* Optionally filter incoming email to a 'spam suspect' mailbox unless the
From: header has the address of a verified sender. (Eg 'verified' here
could include any of the following: a) the From: address is in the user's
address book; b) the sender and/or recipient has personally verified the
sender's authenticity by responding to a 'please authenticate yourself'
email from the rebwebmail server; c) there is some kind of user-specified
password detected).
* Some kind of distributable spam detection functionality, so that (when
there are thousands or millions of rebwebmail servers around the country)
spam positively identified by a user or agent on one server could
automatically (in a matter of minutes) be filtered on all other servers.
* In connection with the previous two features, an option to add a sender's
address to your address book, cancel the verification request, and
optionally respond to them with a 'biz card' (with your phone numbers,
addresses, im/chat ids, etc) in one click. Or conversely, one click to
black-hole future emails and/or report the sender as a spammer. Perhaps and
option to report the sender as otherwise undesirable in the rebwebmail
community. (Well, that could get interesting!)
* Distributable virus/worm detection functionality, so that when a user or
agent on one rebwebmail server detected a virus or worm, all servers around
the country could instantly be notified.
I'm using the word 'distributable' above because all servers couldn't just
be networked together, but would have to communicate via some kind of
underlying infrastructure for managing spam and virus/worm updates, and
perhaps user authentication and user account transfers from one server to
another, including mail forwarding to new email addresses. Such standards
would also help make it possible for different agencies to use or build
their own version of the app, yet maintain scalability, and compatibility
between all servers.
* Perhaps POP or IMAP features could be enhanced with a simple instant
messaging service, so that one user could 1) see if another user is online
and 2) request a simple p2p messaging session with that user. This would be
very easy while both users were logged in to the same server, because each
user's ip address would be known. Across two servers, im session request ip
discovery could be attempted with a rebwebmail POP or IMAP agent on the
'remote' server. (Or, by adding distributable-ness to a reb-im user id and
ip discovery protocol, users could also find each other on any rebwebmail
server in the world without using POP or IMAP.) Even if this feature just
remained local to one server, I think having local p2p im ip discovery on a
single server would be desirable for a webmaster to have for his/her
family/friends/clients.
* PGP or other privacy/authentication scheme for email and/or im.
A related app I'm working on in win98 is a simple smtp client with 1)
POP-before-smtp authentication; 2) multiple-choice From: address and smtp
server capability; 3) access to my Eudora address book; 4) optional biz
card attachmnt. Part 1 is already working. (I'm not a programmer, so this
is a big deal for me!) Parts 2 thru 4 and making it web based *should* be
easy for me (cross fingers, and thanks to Carl S's emailer.r script). My
smtp 'module' works standalone, but could of course be integrated into a
rebwebmail scheme someday, if security were added. By the way, I, too
sometimes use Yahoo email, but would never rely on it for a long term
solution.
--Ken.
>Ryan,
>
>These are all valid points. Again, I would like to get an idea how to
>maintain the same folders in a Web and a REBOL client? One idea is to get a
>provider like Yahoo or Hotmail to expose the web mail in some format that
>supports folders. Yahoo has POP access, but I don't think POP has folders
>-- am I right about this?
>Another idea is to build a complete Web/Rebol mail server that ISPs can
>install and market. Perhaps there is already a web mail sever for ISPs that
>we can add Rebol to.
>
>Regards,
>
>David
>
>>* Allow me to get read my work mail from home and my home mail from work,
>>without erasing it from the server.
>
>Ditto here. I programmed my mail program to copy all mail to a second mail
>box. Then I use Yahoo mail on the road and Eudora at home completely
>independently.
>
>>* Enable me to read/import my web based mail too.
>>
>>* Detect spam, viruses and chain mail.
>>
>>* Some "macro" capability for varied signature insertion and random quotes.
>>
>>--Ryan
>>
>>
>>David Vydra wrote:
>>
>> > I say that some of us need to choose a goal(s) and start a project or two
>> > on sourceforge.org in search of the "Killer App". I would like to make
sure
>> > that we consider business (probability of success, target audience, etc.)
>> > as well as technical issues.
>> > As I said before, I need a mail client that has folders, is completly
>> > server-based, and is non-HTML so I can go to any machine and get to my
>> > folders without the click-and-wait syndrome. Still I need an HTML
client as
>> > a backup. What would be the simplest way to implement this? Perhaps it
>> > would not be too difficult to screen-scrape Yahoo mail as a test or we
>> > could build a completely independent client/server solution.
>> > Let us remember that Hotmail was sold for $400M after 18 months in
>> > business. I wonder what MS thinks of that investment these days :)
>> >
>> > Anyone interested in giving this a try?
>> >
>> > Regards,
>> >
>> > David
____________________________ ____________________________
Ah, you hate Microsoft too! So comrade, ven do vee plan to defect?
