To set things straight, let's just call this protocol
the proprietary Hotmail protocol, as opposed to the
HTTP mail protocol, which can be misleading. There are
open standards for email protocols even before Hotmail
existed, and yet Microsoft decided to design and use
its own protocol. You made it sound like implementing
this protocol is easy, but it's not. There's no open
specification. So the best way to do this is to
reverse-engineer Outlook Express, which supports this
protocol (that's what I heard). Obviously, there's no
source code available for Outlook Express in the
public domain, so we have to dig in into the binary
code. And exactly how do you propose to implement the
way to get around the "cat-and-mouse game" that you
mentioned? Of course, you can still use your favorite
Web browser to check your Hotmail emails, unless
Microsoft starts to fudge around by adding their
proprietary HTML extensions. BTW, I don't think
Hotmail is the most popular email service. The most
popular email service is IMAP, POP, and SMTP. You just
don't think it that way since they are used by a lot
of small (compared to Microsoft) organizations and
ISPs.

Indra
 
--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> If you mean Mozilla Mail, well please tell me
> how!!!! Or do you mean the 
> navigator?
> 
> Also, I do understand that Microsoft owns the Http
> *Mail* protocol, (or 
> whatever it is), and that I wouldn't be surprised if
> they owned it 
> either since it's so slow, bugged etc... etc... .
> 
> However, speaking not for my own personal benefit,
> it's just that you 
> can never expect a program to succeed if it does not
> support some of the 
> more popular options. For example, an office suite,
> such as staroffice 
> would never even have been considered if it couldn't
> open MS Word files.
> Unfortunately, Hotmail IS the most popular email
> service at the moment, 
> whether we like it or not, and to bring more users
> to mozilla mail, 
> it'll have to start supporting the current most
> popular email service.
> 
> I am switching from Hotmail, I hate it anyway, it's
> too slow etc.. etc.. 
> but you can encourage so many others to do the same.
> OK, it'll be like a 
> "cat and mouse game" but if that's what Micro$oft
> want to play at, then 
> fine. I am sure there's room for Mozilla Mail even
> to check up on the 
> web at an update site or something to see if the
> Hotmail protocol and 
> address ever changes and update everything
> automatically. It's all 
> possible, and although Hotmail does suck, i believe
> a lot of users are 
> expecting mozilla to start support the http mail
> protocol and i'm afraid 
> it will have to if more start considering mozilla
> mail as a real 
> possible alternative.
> 
> I am not a hotmail lover, i hate it, but its a
> standard and mozilla mail 
> MUST support a standard.
> 
> M.
> 
> 
> 



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