expunge-after-retrieving default setting

[Uday S Reddy]

The EmacsWiki complains about downloading mail from POP/IMAP maildrops (http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/GettingMail):

Note: All three will want to clear your maildrop once they have retrieved the messages, so if you are testing and wish to continue using your old mail tool you need to take steps to prevent that action (i.e., set rmail-preserve-inbox to t, use epop3.el (and read more in order to install it), or set vm-pop-expunge-after-retrieving to nil, respectively).

This is a bit silly. I know of several people (myself included) who said to themselves �Gee, maybe I�ll try to use Emacs to read my mail� only to have their mail gobbled up and whisked away to an undisclosed location. After the shock has worn off and the person has rescued their mail, they do not touch their mail with Emacs again. It seems that the default behavior should be non-destructive.

----

I am inclined to agree. I was bitten by the problem myself a couple of days ago.

I think the default values should be geared to what new users might need. The experienced users can always go find the customization options to meet their needs.

So, I would like to make the default values of vm-pop-expunge-after-retrieving and vm-imap-expunge-after-retrieving to nil.

Any comments?

Cheers,
Uday

[Alan]

On May 24, 3:06 pm, Uday S Reddy <uDOTsDOTre...@cs.bham.ac.uk> wrote:
> The EmacsWiki complains about downloading mail from POP/IMAP maildrops (http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/GettingMail):
>
> Note: All three will want to clear your maildrop once they have retrieved the messages, so if you are testing and wish to continue using your old mail tool you need to take steps to prevent that action (i.e., set rmail-preserve-inbox to t, use epop3.el (and read more in order to install it), or set vm-pop-expunge-after-retrieving to nil, respectively).
>

> This is a bit silly. I know of several people (myself included) who said to themselves “Gee, maybe I’ll try to use Emacs to read my mail” only to have their mail gobbled up and whisked away to an undisclosed location. After the shock has worn off and the person has rescued their mail, they do not touch their mail with Emacs again. It seems that the default behavior should be non-destructive.

>
> ----
>
> I am inclined to agree.  I was bitten by the problem myself a couple of days ago.
>
> I think the default values should be geared to what new users might need.  The experienced users can always go find the customization options to meet their needs.
>
> So, I would like to make the default values of vm-pop-expunge-after-retrieving and vm-imap-expunge-after-retrieving to nil.
>
> Any comments?
>
> Cheers,
> Uday

I concur. I choose not to empty my maildrops. If any deletions of
mail are to take place, I want to control the deletions directly.

[Uday S Reddy]

On 5/29/2010 3:25 AM, Alan wrote:

>
> I concur. I choose not to empty my maildrops. If any deletions of
> mail are to take place, I want to control the deletions directly.

Actually, I realize now that it isn't such a straightforward choice.

Imagine another user who always downloads mail from his server permanently and not even knows that there is an option to keep a copy on the server. If the default is not to expunge, then he will run out of server disk space eventually and his mail will start to bounce.

I will have to think some more.

Cheers,
Uday

[knubee]

> Actually, I realize now that it isn't such a straightforward
> choice. Imagine another user who always downloads mail from
> his server permanently and not even knows that there is an
> option to keep a copy on the server. If the default is not to
> expunge, then he will run out of server disk space eventually
> and his mail will start to bounce. I will have to think some
> more.

yes, this is a possibility. it might be worth asking which one is
potentially worse. personally, defaulting to "delete on server" feels
worse.

one thought. this issue tends to be relevant the first time one sets
up an account (or the first time one uses a mail app). is there some
way to throw up some warnings (or options to set/change certain
defaults) the first time an account is created (or even the first time
vm is ever run after it is installed)?