Re: Critique. How neophytes might set up gnus for email who're already using gnus for newsgroups.

Re: Critique. How neophytes might set up gnus for email who're already using gnus for newsgroups.

[Galen Boyer]

On Thu, 19 Dec 2002, dsaklad@gnu.org wrote:

> I've not figured out how to set up gnus for email yet.

What is the address of your email server?
Does it support POP or IMAP or both?
-- 
Galen deForest Boyer
Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground.

Re: Critique. How neophytes might set up gnus for email who're already using gnus for newsgroups.

[Don Saklad]

See also
[ http://zork.net/~dsaklad/gnusmail.html ]

Thank you for your interest Galen deForest Boyer !

a. What commands to the system prompt might help an end user determine
   the address of the end user's email server and whether it supports
   POP or IMAP or both?...

b. What particular files on the system might an end user check that
   would help determine the address of the end user's email server and
   whether it supports POP or IMAP or both?...




Definitions around the web that might help some the folks out there
unfamiliar with the terms

http://webopedia.com/TERM/I/IMAP.html
IMAP 
Last modified: Friday, July 20, 2001

 Short for Internet Message Access Protocol, a protocol for retrieving
 e-mail messages. The latest version, IMAP4, is similar to POP3 but
 supports some additional features. For example, with IMAP4, you can
 search through your e-mail messages for keywords while the messages
 are still on mail server. You can then choose which messages to
 download to your machine.

 IMAP was developed at Stanford University in 1986. 
http://webopedia.com/TERM/I/IMAP.html

http://webopedia.com/TERM/P/POP2.html
POP 
Last modified: Monday, May 18, 1998
1) Short for Post Office Protocol, a protocol used to retrieve e-mail
   from a mail server. Most e-mail applications (sometimes called an
   e-mail client) use the POP protocol, although some can use the
   newer IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol).

   There are two versions of POP. The first, called POP2, became a
   standard in the mid-80's and requires SMTP to send messages. The newer
   version, POP3, can be used with or without SMTP.

(2) Short for Point of Presence, a telephone number that gives you
    dial-up access. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) generally
    provide many POPs so that users can make a local call to gain
    Internet access.
http://webopedia.com/TERM/P/POP2.html

http://www.serverwatch.com/stypes/article.php/1151601


[ http://www.serverwatch.com/stypes/article.php/1151601 ]
ServerWatch > Server Directory

Mail Servers 
 GO 

(See a detailed list of all mail servers.) 
[ http://www.serverwatch.com/stypes/compare/index.phpr/compare_TUFJTA==_______ ]

Almost as ubiquitous and crucial as Web servers, mail servers move and
store mail over corporate networks (via LANs and WANs) and across the
Internet. more

May 30, 2002
Mail Server Overview 
By Nelson King 

Web servers may be the most important and ubiquitous servers on the
Internet, but mail servers rank a close second. E-mail is generally
considered the most important service provided by the Internet, which
makes servers that move and store mail a crucial piece of
software. Naturally this importance and attention draws a crowd, and
the number of mail server products is large and growing -- despite the
presence of major vendors in this category.

Today, most people think of mail servers in terms of the
Internet. Mail servers, however, were originally developed for
corporate networks (LANs and WANs). This kind of mail server is still
common, although most of ServerWatch reviews focus on the Internet
(and intranet) variety. A specialized mail server function designed to
handle bulk mailing (usually called a list server) is sometimes part
of the products we review.

For Internet mail servers, a very important factor is the support of
standards. The major protocols are SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer
Protocol) for outgoing mail and POP3 (Post Office Protocol) for
incoming mail. A more recent protocol, which has yet to make the
inroads expected of it, is IMAP4 (Internet Messaging Access
Protocol). IMAP offers a number of important features, including user
management of mail on the server. Other Internet protocols include
ESMTP (Extended Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), APOP (Authenticated
Post Office Protocol), MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions),
and Ph (Directory Access protocol). Many mail servers are also adding
S/MIME, SSL, or RSA support for message encryption; and LDAP
(Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) support to access operating
system directory information about mail users. In general, the more
standards a server supports, the better.

Because of the ever-increasing volume of e-mail traffic, the
scalability of an e-mail server -- even for a relatively small
organization -- can be a major issue. It is also important because
mail server products tend to differentiate themselves by the message
volume of their target customer and the number of e-mail accounts they
support. Some are intended for corporate and enterprise e-mail, often
processing millions of messages in a short period of time and
providing accounts for more than 100,000 users; others target small
businesses that may handle only a few thousand messages a week and
support less than 100 users.

The highly publicized viruses that attack through e-mail clients have
put the spotlight on e-mail as a vulnerable point in an enterprise's
firewall. In response, mail server vendors (along with major client
vendors such as Microsoft) have begun producing add-ons and built-in
features that will help to scan mail, segregate questionable messages,
and deal with viruses and spam. As might be expected, this is a
rapidly expanding element of e-mail servers, and should be considered
important when comparing products.

E-mail servers rank high in difficulty to install and manage. That's
because they are tied to an inherently variable source-Internet
connection and mail traffic -- and because they require constant
attention to user lists, user rights, and message storage. Thus, it's
important to look for servers that provide a certain modicum of ease
of use. A GUI interface is nice, but it is not necessarily the route
to easy administration. The type of interface is often related to
platform (operating system), and it is important to keep in mind that
many products are intended to run on a single platform (e.g., Unix or
Windows).
-- Nelson King
[ http://www.serverwatch.com/stypes/article.php/1151601 ]

[ http://www.serverwatch.com/stypes/index.php/bWFpbA== ]
Mail Servers

602Pro LAN Suite 2002
Avirt Mail Server
CommuniGate Pro
DMail Email Server
Emurl
Eudora Internet Mail Server
Eudora WorldMail Server
FTGate Pro
GLMail
IMail Server
inFusion
Internet Anywhere
Kerio Mail Server
MailMax
MailSite
MailStudio 2000
MDaemon
Merak
MERCUR
Mercury Mail Transport System
Microsoft Exchange
NTMail
Nu-Mail
Post.Office
Qmail Mail Server
QuickMail Pro Server
sendmail
SLmail
StarNine Mail Server
Visnetic MailServer Pro
VOP modusMail
VOPmail
[ http://www.serverwatch.com/stypes/index.php/bWFpbA== ]



cheer and season's greetings!
 oo__  don

[ http://zork.net/~dsaklad/gnusmail.html ]