Re: [imap5] Designing a new replacement protocol for IMAP

[Cyrus Daboo <[e-mail]>]

Hi Adrien,

--On February 13, 2012 10:56:49 AM +1300 Adrien de Croy <[e-mail]> 
wrote:

>> So, in my opinion, whilst push notifications should be a requirement
>> for imap5, we should not define that protocol and instead push the
>> IETF to provide such a protocol for general use.
>>
>
> I don't think that's a workable approach.
>
> Getting such a protocol together, which enables notifications from any
> other application protocol I think will take a very long time, if it can
> even succeed.  It's hard enough getting consensus within one protocol
> working group, let alone all of them working together.
>
> Also every different protocol has different notification requirements.
> trying to cover all that in a single protocol I think would be difficult.

I disagree because what I envisage for the generic notification service is 
an OS-level api (supplied by OS or 3rd party libraries) that implement the 
"internet push service protocol". What that means is that client developers 
only have to implement a simple api to get push notifications. What is more 
anyone implementing more than one protocol in their client (e.g. IMAP, 
CalDAV and CardDAV) would only have to implement that once, albeit with 
some minor differences in regard to how to get protocol specific pieces for 
registering for notifications.

Your point about actually getting this done is valid. But realistically, do 
you really think IMAP5 is going to deploy overnight? Frankly, anyone who 
has a reasonably solid IMAP4 implementation today is going to question the 
need to work on something new, particularly if that something new brings 
nothing to the table (and simply fixing interop problems will probably not 
be seen as something "new"). If you can actually show that IMAP5 adds 
significant value by doing things like helping centralize push 
notifications, simplifying submission etc, then maybe, just maybe, those 
existing implementors might actually consider throwing out their current 
investment in IMAP4 for the new thing. But, IMHO, you are really going to 
have to up-sell IMAP5 to get buy-in from the major email providers. Now 
that does not mean it is not worth doing, but it does mean having to do 
more than just fixing perceived or real deficiencies.

-- 
Cyrus Daboo