Subject: Re: PCPine as a POP client

From: Scott Leibrand <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 23:40:28 -0700 (PDT)

On Sat, 6 May 2000, Andy Malato wrote:

> > If you have PC-Pine set up using the /pop3 flag, then I'm pretty sure mail
> > is only stored in memory while you're connected to your POP3 server.  It's
> > not really downloaded at all unless you (s)ave it somewhere.
> 
> No, all the mail is downloaded, not just the headers.  It is then stored in 
> the Mail folder just as it would be in UNIX pine.  IMAP is more or less what
> you are thinking of in that sense.
> 
> When you read mail using UNIX pine in most cases you are just pulling the
> mail from your mailbox file located somewhere on the UNIX box itself, usually
> /var/mail or /var/spool/mail.  Your mail is then copied to individual folders
> located in the Mail folder of your home directory created by PINE when
> executed for the first time on a new user account.  
> 
> In PC-PINE this is very similar it downloads all the mail to your local
> PC and is stored in subfolders of a folder called Mail.

I don't think so.  Here's a test I just did.  Do the same thing (or a
similar test on *nix, and tell me if you still disagree.

- Install PC-Pine 4.21.
- Make sure no pinerc file exists.
- Open PC-Pine (pine.exe).
- When presented with a dialog box stating that Pine is "Creating
subdirectory "C:\mail" where Pine will store its mail folders.", make note
of the directory and press OK.
- Press Return to "Be Counted!".
- When prompted for "User-id for From address :", enter the login name to
your POP3 server.
- Press enter to save that in the pinerc.
- When prompted for "Personal name for From address :", enter something.
- Press enter to save that in the pinerc.
- When prompted for "Host/domain for From address :", enter any domain
name.
- Press enter to save that in the pinerc.
- When prompted for "SMTP server to forward message :", enter your e-mail 
domain name.
- When prompted "No inbox!  Folder to open as inbox :", enter your POP3
inbox in the form:  {your.pop3.server.com/user=username/pop3}INBOX
- Press enter to save that in the pinerc.
- When prompted to "ENTER PASSWORD:", do so.
- Make sure Pine successfully opens your POP3 INBOX, and open a few
messages just for good measure.
- No open that directory you made note of (i.e. C:\mail) and see if there
is anything there.

When I did all that, I found *absolutely nothing* in my c:\mail
folder.  (Yes, I had it set to display all files.)  I only got anything
there if I defined and used a local folder collection.

-- 
Scott Leibrand
[email-masked]            (Yes, that is a valid address.)
http://students.washington.edu/leibrand
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