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Gmail imap write DOES work for Alpine
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Howard Schwartz
Sep 15, 2011, 6:02:19 PM9/15/11
to
I am happy to report to alpine users, that you can very probably open
Gmail's imap inbox with confidence. As reported, gmail's imap
implimentation does not accurately report the message size for messages
you try to save from gmail's INBOX to a local folder.
As a result alpine reports an error and warns you the saved message may
have corrupt data. I have done my own experiment, by saving many messages
to local folders anyway. Up to now, I have not a single case where the
message saved was actually incomplete or corrupt. So I feel this is safe
to do, and do not mind the extra prompt needed to do it, when alpine
complains.
Before this, I used a maildrop for gamail, but found alpine's frequent
pauses to read the server's messages -- quite annoying.
I've heard rumors that there are versions of alpine, compiled for
windows, that do not display this error message when dealing with gmail.
But I have never located such a binary.
Gmail's imap inbox with confidence. As reported, gmail's imap
implimentation does not accurately report the message size for messages
you try to save from gmail's INBOX to a local folder.
As a result alpine reports an error and warns you the saved message may
have corrupt data. I have done my own experiment, by saving many messages
to local folders anyway. Up to now, I have not a single case where the
message saved was actually incomplete or corrupt. So I feel this is safe
to do, and do not mind the extra prompt needed to do it, when alpine
complains.
Before this, I used a maildrop for gamail, but found alpine's frequent
pauses to read the server's messages -- quite annoying.
I've heard rumors that there are versions of alpine, compiled for
windows, that do not display this error message when dealing with gmail.
But I have never located such a binary.
Adam H. Kerman
Oct 13, 2011, 1:41:20 PM10/13/11
to
Howard Schwartz <howa...@gmail.com> wrote:
Yeah, I noticed this bug yesterday but the message was intact.
However, I see just the messages in gmail's inbox. I thought gmail
stored everything in one enormous INBOX, with tags to mimic folders,
but apparently that's not the case. What's the filespace for messages
no longer in INBOX?
Howard Schwartz
Oct 24, 2011, 10:41:45 PM10/24/11
to
"Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote in news:j777s0$ps2$2
@news.albasani.net:
> However, I see just the messages in gmail's inbox. I thought gmail
> stored everything in one enormous INBOX, with tags to mimic folders,
> but apparently that's not the case. What's the filespace for messages
> no longer in INBOX?
Not sure what you are asking, but: messagest that alpine seemingly
deletes from INBOX are not actually deleted from the google mailserver.
They remain in the pseudo-folder, All Mail. To really delete them, move
them from All Mail to the pseudo-folder, Trash, and then have alpine
delete them from that folder.
However, the pseudo-folders, Trash and Spam are different. When alpine
deletes messsages from these folders, they are really deleted.
This is a little bit of a pain at first: Every few weeks one needs to
clean out All Mail, and Spam (which can quickly build to thousands of
messages!). Another special pseudo-folder is Sent Mail. Whether you
define fcc in alpine or not, google will always save your sent messages
on its own server in Sent Mail.
But it is not bad, and sometimes this behaviour comes in handy: If you
accidentally `deleted' a message from Inbox, you can retrieve it later
from All Mail - even at somebody else's house and computer--wth a
browser. So All Mail acts like a super fcc folder: All your mail, both
sent and received gets saved -- until you really, really delete it.
@news.albasani.net:
> However, I see just the messages in gmail's inbox. I thought gmail
> stored everything in one enormous INBOX, with tags to mimic folders,
> but apparently that's not the case. What's the filespace for messages
> no longer in INBOX?
deletes from INBOX are not actually deleted from the google mailserver.
They remain in the pseudo-folder, All Mail. To really delete them, move
them from All Mail to the pseudo-folder, Trash, and then have alpine
delete them from that folder.
However, the pseudo-folders, Trash and Spam are different. When alpine
deletes messsages from these folders, they are really deleted.
This is a little bit of a pain at first: Every few weeks one needs to
clean out All Mail, and Spam (which can quickly build to thousands of
messages!). Another special pseudo-folder is Sent Mail. Whether you
define fcc in alpine or not, google will always save your sent messages
on its own server in Sent Mail.
But it is not bad, and sometimes this behaviour comes in handy: If you
accidentally `deleted' a message from Inbox, you can retrieve it later
from All Mail - even at somebody else's house and computer--wth a
browser. So All Mail acts like a super fcc folder: All your mail, both
sent and received gets saved -- until you really, really delete it.
Adam H. Kerman
Oct 25, 2011, 7:19:00 AM10/25/11
to
Howard Schwartz <howa...@gmail.com> wrote:
in folders other than INBOX.
>"Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>>However, I see just the messages in gmail's inbox. I thought gmail
>>stored everything in one enormous INBOX, with tags to mimic folders,
>>but apparently that's not the case. What's the filespace for messages
>>no longer in INBOX?
>Not sure what you are asking,
I'm asking what IMAP syntax I would use in alpine to see gmail message
>>However, I see just the messages in gmail's inbox. I thought gmail
>>stored everything in one enormous INBOX, with tags to mimic folders,
>>but apparently that's not the case. What's the filespace for messages
>>no longer in INBOX?
>Not sure what you are asking,
in folders other than INBOX.
Howard Schwartz
Oct 27, 2011, 11:52:05 AM10/27/11
to
"Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote in news:j865v4$7ja$1
@news.albasani.net:
> 'm asking what IMAP syntax I would use in alpine to see gmail message
> in folders other than INBOX.
In pinerc, under Folder Collections insert this line:
Gmail {imap.gmail.com/ssl/novalidate-cert/user=howa...@gmail.com}
Gmail]]/[],
That will create a folder collection called Gmail which you can view
using, for instance, the L command from Pine's main menu. This collection
will contain Folders such as All Mail, Sent Drafts Starred and so on.
@news.albasani.net:
> 'm asking what IMAP syntax I would use in alpine to see gmail message
> in folders other than INBOX.
Gmail {imap.gmail.com/ssl/novalidate-cert/user=howa...@gmail.com}
Gmail]]/[],
That will create a folder collection called Gmail which you can view
using, for instance, the L command from Pine's main menu. This collection
will contain Folders such as All Mail, Sent Drafts Starred and so on.
Adam H. Kerman
Oct 31, 2011, 12:04:36 PM10/31/11
to
Howard Schwartz <howa...@gmail.com> wrote:
>"Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>>I'm asking what IMAP syntax I would use in alpine to see gmail message
sure look wrong. I tried [Gmail]/[] and other variations.
I either get nothing, or a folder name followed by /[], also clickable.
>That will create a folder collection called Gmail which you can view
>using, for instance, the L command from Pine's main menu. This collection
>will contain Folders such as All Mail, Sent Drafts Starred and so on.
I never got an All Mail folder under any variation I could think of.
>"Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>>I'm asking what IMAP syntax I would use in alpine to see gmail message
>>in folders other than INBOX.
>In pinerc, under Folder Collections insert this line:
>Gmail {imap.gmail.com/ssl/novalidate-cert/user=howa...@gmail.com}
>Gmail]]/[],
No, that syntax doesn't work, and the two consecutive right square brackets
>In pinerc, under Folder Collections insert this line:
>Gmail {imap.gmail.com/ssl/novalidate-cert/user=howa...@gmail.com}
>Gmail]]/[],
sure look wrong. I tried [Gmail]/[] and other variations.
I either get nothing, or a folder name followed by /[], also clickable.
>That will create a folder collection called Gmail which you can view
>using, for instance, the L command from Pine's main menu. This collection
>will contain Folders such as All Mail, Sent Drafts Starred and so on.
Howard Schwartz
Nov 5, 2011, 2:36:11 PM11/5/11
to
"Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote in
news:j8mguk$6uj$1...@news.albasani.net:
> No, that syntax doesn't work, and the two consecutive right square
> brackets sure look wrong. I tried [Gmail]/[] and other variations.
I know the double square brackets looked wrong to me also. However, I got
this syntax I believe from a post by Edeurdo, and when I used it it did and
does indeed work for me. I am running xp service pack3. Have you tried
this, or were you convinced it would not work just looking at it?
news:j8mguk$6uj$1...@news.albasani.net:
> No, that syntax doesn't work, and the two consecutive right square
> brackets sure look wrong. I tried [Gmail]/[] and other variations.
this syntax I believe from a post by Edeurdo, and when I used it it did and
does indeed work for me. I am running xp service pack3. Have you tried
this, or were you convinced it would not work just looking at it?
Adam H. Kerman
Nov 6, 2011, 12:09:08 AM11/6/11
to
Howard Schwartz <howa...@gmail.com> wrote:
Here's the syntax I could get to work:
{imap.gmail.com/ssl/novalidate-cert/user=user...@gmail.com}[]
Now I see a subdirectory named [Gmail]/
Clicking on that, I see All Mail. What I don't understand is why I get
a clickable subdirectory symbol [/] after every single folder but get
no subdirectories.
>"Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>>No, that syntax doesn't work, and the two consecutive right square
>>brackets sure look wrong. I tried [Gmail]/[] and other variations.
>I know the double square brackets looked wrong to me also. However, I got
>this syntax I believe from a post by Edeurdo, and when I used it it did and
>does indeed work for me. I am running xp service pack3. Have you tried
>this, or were you convinced it would not work just looking at it?
I tried it using the two literal right brackets in a row; didn't work.
>>No, that syntax doesn't work, and the two consecutive right square
>>brackets sure look wrong. I tried [Gmail]/[] and other variations.
>I know the double square brackets looked wrong to me also. However, I got
>this syntax I believe from a post by Edeurdo, and when I used it it did and
>does indeed work for me. I am running xp service pack3. Have you tried
>this, or were you convinced it would not work just looking at it?
Here's the syntax I could get to work:
{imap.gmail.com/ssl/novalidate-cert/user=user...@gmail.com}[]
Now I see a subdirectory named [Gmail]/
Clicking on that, I see All Mail. What I don't understand is why I get
a clickable subdirectory symbol [/] after every single folder but get
no subdirectories.
Adam H. Kerman
Nov 6, 2011, 2:53:43 PM11/6/11
to
{imap.gmail.com/ssl/novalidate-cert/user=USER...@gmail.com}[[Gmail]]/[]
In the .pinerc editor on the Setup > collectionLists screen
Nickname : NICKNAME
Server : imap.gmail.com/ssl/novalidate-cert/user=USER...@gmail.com
Path : [Gmail]/
View :
The brackets are doubled, but they MUST BE opened, closed, and nested.
I'd still like an explanation as to why alpine keeps offering me
nonexistant clickable folder subdirectories.
pascalv75
Oct 19, 2012, 11:50:46 PM10/19/12
to
Strangely, this does not work:
$ alpine -i -f {imap.gmail.com/novalidate-cert/ssl/user=a...@gmail.com}[[Gmail]]/[]
$ alpine -i -f {imap.gmail.com/novalidate-cert/ssl/user=a...@gmail.com}[[Gmail]]/[]
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