Subject: Re: [EAI] http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-ietf-eai-simpledowngrade

From: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 01 Apr 2012 10:18:28 -0700 (PDT)

> Alexey Melnikov answered me:
> >> a) This is a peculiar case, since it only ever applies to unaware
> >> clients and not, for example to any messages that are legal according to
> >> core IMAP. b) IMAP CONVERT is not a shining success of deployment and
> >> usage, so I think that if this document should follow any of its
> >> example, then good concrete reason is needed.
> > Although true, I don't think preconditions for the Lemonade discussion
> > have changed, so I think the conclusions are still valid.

> Those conclusions played a part in getting zero deployment, so I weigh
> the factors differently now. My two cents, of course, but I've come to
> place great emphasis on having a short, easily-read spec that's both
> easy and simple to implement.

I would caution against drawing any conclusions from the lack of success of
IMAP CONVERT, or Sieve CONVERT for that matter.  Server-side conversions have a
long history of not being nearly as interesting or useful to users as
developers believe them to be. This goes all the way back to products like
MAILbus Conversion Manager back in the mid 1980s and many other examples since
then.

And in the rare cases where such facilities get any traction, it's usually for
applications they weren't really intended for.

				Ned