Re: [Asrg] What can we expect MUAs to do?

[Steve Atkins <[e-mail]>]

On Feb 7, 2010, at 10:08 PM, John Levine wrote:

> It seems to me that a lot of these arguments would be easier to resolve
> if we had an agreed model of an MUA.  So here's an attempt to do so.
> This is a generic model of an MUA, the things we can expect any MUA,
> or at least most MUAs to do.  The items with one star are supposed to
> be universal, the ones with two stars common but not all MUAs do it
> 
> * Log into a POP server and retrieve mail
> 
> ** Remember the credentials for that server
> 
> ** Log into several POP servers, remember several sets of credentials
> 
> * Log into one or more IMAP servers and do IMAP stuff
> 
> ** Remember the credentials for that server
> 
> ** Log into several IMAP servers, remember several sets of credentials
> 
> * Compose and send mail (maybe via SUBMIT, maybe hand off to
>  another program)
> 
> ** Use multiple outbound channels
> 
> ** Some MUAs match up inbound and outbound channels, some don't
> 
> * Store mail messages locally
> 
> * Display mail messages to the user
> 
> ** Render HTML
> 
> ** Make HTTP requests, needed for HTML rendering
> 
> Anything important I forgot?

 * Create and render MIME.

(No, you don't get to call yourself an MUA if you can't do that today).

 ** Support POP / IMAP / ESMTP / SUBMIT over TLS

Cheers,
  Steve