Date: 25 Jul 2001
From: Heimo Claasen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: bug list (was: email and enterprise.net)
Ahh yess, here's one thing which is rather a _problem_ with Nettamer
than a bug. It has to do with the "delete old" mail maintenance function:
This - in principle - quite good functionality which I used for a long
while as it was a safety belt with download interruptions and the like
has been overrun by later developments of server aministration; earlier,
it worked well as it allowed to delete "read" mail items with a next
login/run of mail fetching. It worked basically with the "last" command
of POP3 servers, and with a next mailfetch run, all items left up to
the "last" marked were deleted but not those which ha arrived since.
Now this mechanism depends not only on the implementation of the
"last" command at that ISP's POP3 server - which was "optional"
according to the relevant RFC-"standards - but een on the condition
that this server would simply ad new mail on the stack, and would not
change the sorting/storage order there.
Both these conditions have changed very much. While earlier on ISP's
server maintained the "last" command and added new mail in order of
arrival, by now most of them don't have the "last" command applicable
any more, _and_ they do (quite arbitrary) reshufflings of mail stacks
at their servers.
So by now that nice function of Nettamer has become really dangerous:
it can (and I experienced that it _does_) delete new mail, as a
response to the "last" command from a (badly programmed) POP3 server
would render any arbitrary number, and N't as a client then starts
retrieving those mails beyond that "last" number only and deletes all
stored items up to this number. This then can, and does, delete not
yet retrieved new mails stuffed into the stack at arbitrary places
at the server's storage.
I dont't think that there could be done much about it _in_ N't;
because the "retrieve new/delete old" mail maintenance function does
work in and with consecutive logins/fetchmail runs; but it's _only_
during the short while of being logged-in, and the server being
"locked", that there is no risk of added/reordered items at the mail
storage stack, and not in-between consecutive logins.
Thus actually a N't user must not use this function - except that he
has a stone hard assurance from the POP3 ISP that they're still
applicating the traditional order - but should rather stick with the
"get all, delete all" selection. Though to avoid unpleasant surprises,
the "get new, delete old only" variety would better be scrapped in N't
alltogether.
// Heimo Claasen // <hammer at revobild dot net> // Brussels 2001-07-25
The WebPlace of ReRead - and much to read ==> http://www.revobild.net
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