MBOX-Line: From MRC at CAC.Washington.EDU  Tue Sep 12 15:23:03 2006
To: imap-protocol@u.washington.edu
From: Mark Crispin <MRC@CAC.Washington.EDU>
Date: Fri Jun  8 12:34:37 2018
Subject: [Imap-protocol] reporting/detecting expunged messages
In-Reply-To: <4507301B.5040601@sun.com>
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	<450713AB.4090601@sun.com>
	<Pine.WNT.4.65.0609121316280.2164@Tomobiki-Cho.CAC.Washington.EDU>
	<45071A57.5080406@sun.com> <20060912134217.X80085@orthanc.ca>
	<45071C8E.4010909@sun.com> <20060912134901.F80085@orthanc.ca>
	<4507222E.7050706@sun.com>
	<Pine.WNT.4.65.0609121426210.2164@Tomobiki-Cho.CAC.Washington.EDU>
	<4507301B.5040601@sun.com>
Message-ID: <Pine.WNT.4.65.0609121518540.2164@Tomobiki-Cho.CAC.Washington.EDU>

On Tue, 12 Sep 2006, Bill Shannon wrote:
> A test suite that tested the consensus essential functionality would
> find a great many server bugs and would be of great benefit to customers
> evaluating and using IMAP servers.

Ah, but if the "essential functionality" is anything less than the full 
capability of RFC 3501 you will have to find "concensus".  I think that 
you will encounter vigorous objection to any subset, no matter what you 
pick from RFC 3501 to leave out.  I'd be one of the objectors...

>> A common server defies the specification in multiple places; when the 
>> violations are pointed out its author's answer is "yawn" or accusations of 
>> FUD-spreading.  There isn't much can be done in that case.  If a test suite 
>> was produced, such people would attack the motivations of the authors of 
>> the test suite rather than fix the problems.
> I already don't even waste time debugging problems related to *that*
> server, because they always turn out to be bugs in the server.

Ha!  Note how nobody needs to name the server in question, we just all 
know which one it is.  That server is the Voldemort of the IMAP world...

> A test
> suite would allow customers to apply some pressure to the server vendor.

Perhaps.  I'm a bit more pessimistic.

-- Mark --

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

