Re: CAN WE SAY "GET THE MAIL"

[Tom Schaefer <tschaefe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ian Bicking wrote:

> Tom Schaefer writes:
> [
> > I WANT YOUR EMAILER TO DO TWO SIMPLE THINGS:
> >
> > 1. CHECK THE MAIL EVERY 5 MINUTES
> >
> > 2. IF THERE'S MAIL, DOWNLOAD IT FOR CHRIST'S SAKE AND SOUND AND ALARM.
> > (Play a wav or au file)
>

Ian Bicking wrote:

> fetchmail is really the right way to do this.

Tom Schaefer writesIf that's true, then why is there a button in the upper
left corner for getting messages. GET MAIL


I don't care if fetchmail "is the right Unix thing to do" .   Using your
method, now I have additional configuration management  issues because now
you've got me running another daemon and whatever scripts it takes to make
it work.  Imagine having to configure that on more than a few systems. I'm
asking for a simple feature here.


>  It downloads mail in a way that fits well into Un*x.  It's small and can
> run as a daemon, so
> it's practical to always have it running (which isn't the case for a
> browser).  Once the mail is downloaded, xbiff (or the shell) does a fine
> job of alerting you about new mail.  Then you can use whatever mail reader
> you wish.

Whatever ... so you're not listening.
CAN WE  SAY UNIX ON THE DESKTOP IN A SIMPLE FASHION ....


> IMHO, this is a good setup.  A mail reader should read mail, not be a
> mail delivery agent

SAYS WHO? HELLO?   That's your opinion... *SIGH* ....  Bet you didn't know
that the very reason I want this feature enabled is the very reason several
large accounts want Eudora. "But Netscape doesn't download the mail
automatically"

It's exactly that kind of blind arrogance that pisses people off.


> -- beware the Feature Beast, for the power he
> offers is seductive, but if you are not wary of him he shall suck the
> life from your limbs and the soul from your program.
>

Believe me, I know plenty of people who have seen Netscape on Unix (Linux
and Solaris) and wind up going back to Windows because they need the system
to check for them and they don't have a lot of time to fiddle with fetchmail
and xbiff - whatever they are.

THEY JUST WANT TO BE ALERTED THAT MAIL HAS BEEN DOWNLOADED FOR THEM ....

Your little fetchmail + xbiff solution needs to be a builtin option then ,
or post a simple doc on how to  make it work, same way on all platforms.

Your solution is simply more work then for an admin, not a true solution or
feature.


> Windows/Mac would do well to have a clean, standardized manner of
> dealing with mail, as Un*x does.  Perhaps Mozilla can attempt to
> create this, and create seperate (complementary) programs for fetching
> mail and informing the user about new mail.

They came damn close for Windows, they have a littele notifier thingee, but
it can't be set to just get the damn mail.

How hard can it be to understand this?

All we're asking for is something like this in the POP settings:

__ download new mail automatically

__ sound alert when new mail arrives using this sound file: ____  [browse
button]
 How hard can it be?

Why do I have to be punished in Unix? Why do I have to learn some arcane
language and kludge a bunchof crap together to make the program do what
others have done for years.

*SIGH*