I am afraid you value more the letter of the specification than the spirit. Server that answers NO follows the specification but is useless. What do you think the IMAP client is supposed to tell the user? "Server says that message number xx exists but when I ask for it, it says it cannot provide it"? Seems like an internal server error to me.Ok. AFAICS, then, there is no wiggle room - NO is listed as a valid response to FETCH, and any client that can't handle it is in violation. Servers are entirely within their rights if they send NO, though of course it's preferable to prevent the problem if possible.
Exactly!!
Most clients will survive "NO" response but such a response is not what is expected from a functional server. The ultimate goal of IMAP is to provide remote access to messages and that server answers NO to a legal FETCH command is not doing its job.
There are some important insights in Pawel's message, and it bears re-reading.
-- Mark --
http://staff.washington.edu/mrc Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate. Si vis pacem, para bellum.
