Its been done can't remember the name of the package.
actually cyrus and courier do maintain a database of mails, but not in sql format. there is another imap package (well at least one) that stores mail in a sql database. On Thu, 07 Oct 2004 13:45:17 +1300 yuri <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > After Jim and Volker's email presentations, I've been thinking. > How hard would it be to write an MDA that stores mail in a database? > I'm thinking of something gmailesque, with labels and conversations > (threads) and stuff. > > Next, how hard would to be to write a mail client to use with this maildb? well to be sensible you would have a server that used sql as a back end and served it up over imap, thereby allowing almost any existing mail client to access it. > > Just thought I'd throw it out there for people to pick apart, and > hopefully I can learn the skills to build this one day. > > What would I need to learn? > The last serious coding I did was over ten years ago using TurboBasic > and TurboPascal. > I can write a "hello world" program in C++ > > I reckon I can teach myself SQL. > > Would such an MDA be best written in Perl, Python, Pike, C++ or something else? > needs to be fast, c probably. > The mail client would ideally be a GUI app or a web app. I guess that > might need something like PHP? why restrict the clients to web based ones? there are fantastic email clients out there that use the established protocols, what you are suggesting changes the face of email, and is inflexible IMHO. Stick to 1. storing the mail in an effective manner 2. serving it up over a known protocol if you want a web client, use an existing one like squirrelmail or build one in php (etc) that interfaces to imap > > How big a project would this be? enormous if you are expecting every mail client to intriduce a new sql based protocol. see above. > > Yuri -- Nick Rout <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
