Re: gnus, thunderbird and imap

[Richard Riley]

Tyler Smith <tyler.smith@eku.edu> writes:

> ken <gebser@mousecar.com> writes:
>
>> On 12/27/2010 03:12 AM Richard Riley wrote:
>>> Rud1ger Sch1erz <nospam_tigre@yahoo.es> writes:
>>> 
>>>> Tyler Smith <tyler.smith@eku.edu> writes:
>>>>
>>>>> Indicate that I need to set up a local IMAP server to get gnus working.
>>>> Why that? I use gnus just with my IMAP account at gmx, concurrently with
>>>> thunderbird, which I sometimes use from a different machine where no
>>>> gnus is installed.
>>>>
>>>> Cheers,
>>>> Rudiger
>>>>
>>> 
>>> Its a lot faster and you get nnir indexed searching as well as a
>>> local copy of all your mail and the overhead is very low.
>>
>> For years I've been using IMAPS without a local server and the speed is
>> fine... anything "faster" than  my remote connection-- such as a local
>> server-- wouldn't be noticeable.  
>
> I do have it running off the remote server now. However, it's noticeably
> slower than Thunderbird - often several seconds delay while moving
> messages between folders or rescanning new mail. On Thunderbird, with
> a

Get NoGnus from Git : major IMAP speed up. That said I still recommend a
local Dovecot server. Why not? The overhead is little and its just so
much faster AND you have your email when offline. Dovecot stores as
Maildir too.

> local message repository, there is also a delay, but it's shorter and
> doesn't lock the entire application up. So I may still go the extra
> effort to set up a local server.
>
>> Moreover, using the remote server (my ISP's) allows me to access my
>> email from anywhere in the world where I can get an internet
>> connection. Yes, I could do that with a local IMAPS server... and of
>> course secured and firewalled it... and put those machines on a UPS
>> and performed regular backups. But why go through all that when the
>> ISP (or other organization) does it for free?
>
> I assume I could set up a local server that would mirror, rather than
> download, the remote server? Thunderbird is set up to download all my

It would/could be fed using offlineimap which connects to your imap
servers and does a bi-directional sync.

http://sachachua.com/blog/2008/05/geek-how-to-use-offlineimap-and-the-dovecot-mail-server-to-read-your-gmail-in-emacs-efficiently/
http://tinyurl.com/26cwmok


> messages off of the remote server, but it doesn't delete anything. So I
> get the advantage of local speed, plus I can access the server from
> other machines anywhere else. I'd like to have that with gnus,
> eventually. 

And you can. Its why IMAP is used. When read from one client offlineimap
will sync it and it will appear read on others that sync that way too -
but you will still have a copy on your other clients or on the server.

>
>>
>> The OP just wants to use emacs to get mail from a remote IMAP(S) server.
>>  Why turn it into a project?  It should take ten minutes, tops, to set
>> that up... 
>
> *should* being the operative word, of course. I'm still ironing out
>  issues after several hours of reading manuals, googling and prowling
>  mailing lists. Granted, the initial connection to the IMAP server
>  probably was accomplished in less than a single hour.
>
> Thanks to all for your comments!
>
> Tyler
>

Keep at it. Gnus is a bugger to configure. But when you get there it
repays you in spades.