On Tue, 16 Sep 2003, Timo Sirainen wrote:
> Still, why is the "foo/" reply necessary? It gives client information
> about foo's current flags and confirms that foo exists.

It's the latter that is important.  Otherwise, in (and only in) the case
where a \NoSelect mailbox does not have children, there is no difference
in response between that case and the "does not exist" case.

Servers which never have the situation of a \NoSelect mailbox without
children don't have the problem.

> What if foo doesn't exist, is it then not
> allowed to go down the hierarchy to next existing directory?

No, it may try to create foo/, get an error, and not allow any operations
inside foo.

> Assuming there's some good reason why "foo/" is useful - why wouldn't
> it be just as useful for mail stores which support dual-use mailboxes?

It isn't "support dual-use."  You can support dual use and still have the
situation -- *if* you also have single-use names and if you can have a
"directory" type name with no children.

A server such as Cyrus never has the situation.

-- Mark --

http://staff.washington.edu/mrc
Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.

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