IMAP (and a poll!)

[brianlees]

Vote Now! http://www.dauphinisland.net/news/images/uncle%20sam.jpg Vote Now!

Let HR know what you think about this topic!

IMAP, IMAP, IMAP

In this day of checking email from multiple locations (home, office, webmail), it is a necessity. Is there anything we can do to convince you?

[TheGamingAge]

www.yourdomain.com/webmail/
Ok, you can check your e-mail from anywhere with that, whats your next reason for IMAP?

[brianlees]

IMAP allows me to use a local email client, such as Outlook or the Mail client in MacOS X....and I don't loose any messages if I want to check my account from work via webmail. It's just a better overall way to handle email. As long as you have the space for the email...and we have lots of it!

IMAP ensures that the inbox I see at home, work, or on the road is exactly the same. Do you use POP3 and webmail? If so, ever wished you had access to a message in webmail that was already downloaded via POP3?

[Stewart]

if you wanted to see your email to still be on the webmail, but also downloaded to your client, you could set the client up not to delete the email for x amount of days.

[HRGraham]

Webmail clients store the messages on the server until you remove them or download them from a regular mail client like Outlook. However, you can setup programs like Outlook to keep messages on the server.

[Stewart]

yeah, thats what i meant, i use mailgate to receive emails and my client then takes them from that, and mailgate is setup to leave the emails on the server for 30 days, so that at any point i can loginto webmail and view any emails upto 30 days old.

[brianlees]

Yep, POP3 can be made to emulate IMAP by leaving messages on the server, but it isn't IMAP. If you have never used IMAP, you wouldn't know the the beauty of it.

For example, Apple's Mail servers are IMAP. When I look at messages on my OS X PowerBook, I can make changes to my mailbox that are reflected in the webmail interface. I can delete locally and it will delete remotely. I can update a message in drafts via the webmail component and it is updated on my laptop. I can check my mail via the Mail app from my Mac at work and I don't have to worry that I will download anything to that machine that won't be accessible anywhere else. I can check my IMPA account on my Palm (http://www.actualsoft.com/prod_mmpro_details.htm) at the airport and don't have to worry that I will lose data if my Palm is stolen. Awesome. One location for all email...period. I don't have to worry if my laptop fries and I lose my POP3 mailbox file.

For more info, go to IMAP.org's Info Page (http://www.imap.org/about/whatisIMAP.html) to get a better explanation. There is also an IMAP vs. POP3 Comparison (http://www.imap.org/papers/imap.vs.pop.brief.html) available.

It is just the best way to handle email in this day of multiple access points. That is why it would be nice to have it.

[JoeF]

IMAP would be a GREAT feature, if and ONLY if hostrocket can get email to actually be reliable. At the moment HR email is next to useless.

[TheGamingAge]

Why do you say so? I find it gets the job done just as good anyone else.

[scottya]

I second the motion for IMAP. I'm currently on a year trip around the world, and I would really really like it if I had IMAP access to my email. This would enable me to use the wonderful webmail client Squirrelmail, which is infinitely better than the crap installed at /webmail/, as well as mirror my email on a box back home for backup. And when I get back home/get a job, it will be almost imperative. For me, it's nearly a deal maker/breaker as far as which hosting company I go with, but for right now, Hostrocket's price/reliability/cluefullness is winning.

Scotty

[brianlees]

Does anyone know how we can petition HR to seriously consider IMAP? I'm not posting this as a wish, I am posting this as a serious want. I agree with Scotty, HR reliability and responsiveness (is that a word?) is top rate considering the cost. I think this would put them over the top and I want to see them continue to be one of the best hosts out there.

Also, I see that the port is open on several servers already. Does that mean it is installed?

[aangelis]

IMAP is a powerfull service and if you have used it once before you can understand how important and far away from POP and webmail is.
You can have the same syncronized accounts in unlimited different machine and OSes. You can even have the same emails and folders in a web-based alternative to access your account in an internet cafe or what.
You even leave you sented email in 'Sent Items' folder. That's very useful, eg. you can reply to a friend using your machine at work and then find it in the sent items folder at home!
Personaly I think that there is 2 categories. Simple email and IMAP email usage.
I hope HR setup IMAP on its servers.

[TheGamingAge]

Lets do it like some electoral people do.

I'll vote for IMAP on HR, if you guys vote for JSP :D

Yes, I realize that the stupidist thing I've ever said (except for at that christmas party ... nevermind), but hey, its worth a try.

:chants:
Java!
Java!
Java!
(Servlets, cause we have applets already)

[brianlees]

Keep voting.... The only way HR will know is if you vote!

[brianlees]

Does anyone truly know the "official" way to make a request to HR?

[SpacedDotOrg]

whatever you do, it's not going to work. Your reasoning for "needing" IMAP is non-sense. You want to be able to check your mail from work, on the web, at home ... anywhere. You also want the mail to stay on the server. So ... have your clients keep the mail on the server.

Asking for IMAP won't work. If it did (for some stupid reason), it'd make the cost of hosting here rise. Hmmm, yea. yea. It would probably only be you and a few others taking advantage of IMAP. Hmmm ... is it really necessary then? Probably not. These forums definately don't represent the population of the HR clients. Thus the poll shows nothing.

[TheGamingAge]

Thank you Mr. Party Pooper.

Still, POP3 is an aging system, and IMAP has been proven to be 'better'.

[TheGamingAge]

:sticks out tounge:

http://forums.hostrocket.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10025

[SpacedDotOrg]

... damn

[alexandre]

I didn't realise what was IMAP in Belgium before using it in the University of Virgina. Synchronisation is something that everyone need. IMAP is great and HR has to use it if they want to stay a Advanced Hosting Solution like they say on there webpage. So I wait IMAP ( like a lot of customers) ...