Thanks for all the advice.
I did give Getmail a try, and you're right: it has more features.
I'd probably try using it for daily use, like Msmtp, if it weren't for 2
issues:
---No STARTTLS support, only SSL: author at the mailing lists seems to
not like very much the idea of implementing it.
---Unlike Msmtp, no direct integration with Mutt: it's run like an
entirely separated program, no chance of running it from within Mutt
since "custom commands" are not supported, not even with macros.
Nevertheless, it's remains an interesting option.
Now, three final doubts:
---Why isn't there a default binding for the "imap-fetch-mail" function,
just like 'G' for POP3? I know I can assign it, but was curious
---If "LAST" command has been deprecated since long ago, is there a
reason to still keep it? In the case of Getmail, is it that it actually
does not use this command but another implementation?
---What's the current panorama for POP3 nowadays? Is it still used or is
it dying? I heard Yahoo dropped POP3 support since years ago, except for
paid users...
Thanks again.
El 2022-09-02 14:32, Sam Kuper escribió:
On Fri, Sep 02, 2022 at 01:11:53PM -0500, X Tec wrote:
On 2022-08-31 11:46:15, X Tec wrote:
On 2022-08-30 18:34:42, Kevin J. McCarthy wrote:
On Mon, Aug 29, 2022 at 03:14:21PM -0500, X Tec wrote:
Fetching email with 'G' key just ignores the "pop_last=yes"
setting because it always downloads all email regardless of
locally read or not, even though other clients such as Outlook or
Thunderbird don't do this mistake. So I don't think server doesn't
support the LAST command...
Run with debugging enabled (-d 2) and check the log file to see
what the LAST command response is from the server. Since the
command was deprecated some time ago, I would venture the server is
returning an unknown command error.
With debugger I saw this line: "-ERR Unknown command: LAST"; so I
think you were right once again...
OK, so that's that mystery resolved.
Mutt's POP3 support *is* simple, so if LAST isn't supported, the
behavior you are seeing with <fetch-mail> is expected.
You may be happier just directly connecting to a pops:// URL via
one of your mailboxes instead; or with a more sophisticated tool,
such as Getmail (which Sam mentioned).
So if I wanted this function, or the one of "keep messages in server
for x days", would I need another external POP3 mail fetcher?
Yes.
There is one caveat. If the POP3 server is totally kooky, then even
Getmail or suchlike might be unable to extract the desired behaviour
from it.
Fortunately, nothing so far seems particularly kooky about the POP3
server in your case.
I did read in the Mutt wiki that Mutt originally didn't intend to
have native SMTP support, but it ended up (reluctantly?) being added
eventually; which is why I decided to learn Msmtp as well. However, I
was unable to find any proof of this being the same case for IMAP and
POP3, and I searched the whole wiki and docs. So I thought "so unlike
SMTP, Mutt has always been supposed to support IMAP and POP3
natively".
But then, must I understand that this is *not* the case for POP3?
Could someone still help with these issues please?
Mutt *does* support POP3, but as Kevin pointed out above, its POP3
support is simple, i.e. basic. If you want a more sophisticated MRA
(i.e. POP3 client), then a third-party MRA such as Getmail will likely
suit you better.
Mutt roughly adheres to the Unix philosophy - "Make each program do one
thing well." Mutt is an *amazing* MUA. It does not excel at anything
else. (Nor should it.)
Yes, Mutt has MRA and MTA capabilities, but these are limited. It is
*good* that these capabilities are limited because that keeps the
codebase, and the consequent bug surface and attack surface, small.
(Purists might argue that Mutt should not have MRA or MTA capabilities
at *all* - but for better or worse, the pragmatists who argued Mutt
should have limited MRA and MTA capabilities got their way.)
So, if you want an *amazing* lightweight MTA to sit alongside Mutt,
msmtp is a great choice - and it seems you made that choice. Ace!
Similarly, if you want an *amazing* lightweight MRA to sit alongside
Mutt, Getmail is a great choice.
Good luck,
Sam
