Did you read http://www.bincimap.org/bincimap-imapdir.html?
Maildir++ and IMAPdir are extensions to qmail's Maildir (http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html) to support multiple mail folders on the IMAP server.
The basic difference between the two is that Maildir++ was designed be more compatible with stock qmail installations whereas IMAPdir was designed with much cleaner semantics.
Maildir++ uses Maildir (with its tmp/new/cur subfolders) for the IMAP "INBOX" and subfolders on "INBOX" are implemented as Maildir subdirectories whose names start with a ".". So you don't have to change your .qmail file (or use softlinks) when introducing an IMAP server that supports folders. The downside is that these semantics are the exact opposite of the ones expected by users using the Unix command line: "." files are supposed to be for administration and non-"." files are supposed to be for interesting stuff.
IMAPdir is not a Maildir, but a directory that contains a bunch of Maildir's, one of which is "INBOX". This means that Maildir has to be changed to IMAPdir/INBOX (in .qmail and other configuration files) when upgrading from stock qmail installations. Alternatively, a softlink can be made to make Maildir point to IMAPdir/INBOX. Not a big deal, but someone always gets surprised. "." files and directories are hidden as would be expected. The only non-hidden directory entries should be Maildirs. This makes it easy search for things from the Unix command line (e.g. "grep pattern */cur/* */new/*") and other Unix tools (like mutt when not using an IMAP server) work nicely. Finally, it allows you to have mail folders at the same level as "INBOX" (which is not possible with Maildir++).
I don't believe there is any performance difference between the two mail depots.
Basically, if you reason to maintain a very tight compatibility with stock qmail, then I would go with IMAPdir. I also believe that DJB will likely adopt IMAPdir (or something very similar and certainly not Maildir++) for qmail v2.0 (when and if it arrives;-).
Henry:-)
On Wed, 12 May 2004 15:37:05 +0000, Casey Allen Shobe <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
HELLO??? Andreas? Anyone else? It's been a good while since I sent this
mail so I thought I'd try again. Does anybody here have any ideas about what
Maildir++ and IMAPdir are? I'd like to make an informed decision about which
to use, but I really have no concept of what they are supposed to be. I'm
sure this information would benefit others on the list as well.
Thanks,
- Casey
On Thursday 15 April 2004 02:19, Casey Allen Shobe wrote:Andreas,
Could you please explain a little bit about Maildir++ and IMAPdir? I don't really understand what they are, or what's different about them.
I'm using whichever was default, I believe Maildir++. I have a Maildir in
my home directory, and a lot of messages and folders there. Is IMAPdir an
alternative to using Maildir? If so how does it fit in with qmail
delivery? What is the ++ on Maildir++ for? Is this a difference in how
messages are stored on the disk, a naming convention, a protocol
difference, or something else entirely?
If I want to change to another format, do I have to convert my existing
messages or throw them away? What are the advantages of each and why are
there both?
I see it mentioned quite a bit, but I guess everyone else here has a
better understanding of what it is than me, or maybe they just don't care
;-). Anyways, I do care, so any information you can provide is greatly
appreciated.
-- Henry Baragar Instantiated Software Inc. www.instantiated.ca
