Re: [NTLK] Mail V "survey"

From: Robert Masters (rdm_at_enfield.lympago.com)
Date: Fri Feb 20 2004 - 16:23:33 PST


On Wed, Feb 18, 2004 at 11:20:09PM +0100, mark wrote:
> Alan Toops wrote:
>
> > I run my .mac account as IMAP and use Entourage or Mail to
> > download e-mail. My mac account has 4 folders: inbox, deleted
> > messages, draft messages and sent messages.
>
> OK. This supports my theory (that Mail V has problems with either large numbers of IMAP mailboxes and/or a relatively complicated IMAP mbox/container hierarchy). Doesn't prove it, but it supports
> it.

I have run a debug session, and analysed the results, on my *nix box,
and passed on my findings.

What is happening is that MailV, after authenticating, immeadiately does
a full hierarchy scan. Now, if you have a standard *nix account, you
will have a whole lot of non-mail information present, and, if you are
like me, probably a KDE or GNOME configuration set as well. Also, note
that any folder scan that you request using IMAP is /recursive/.

When MailV reaches something around 200 folders, it runs out of space in
it's mail folder table, and starts spitting errors. As I have mentioned
to the author, there are a few ways of fixing this:

1/ Allow a new base directory to be set (eg: first cd to "Mail")
2/ Do not do the initial scan if so requested
3/ Allow the folder table to expand as far as required (dangerous if
   you are talking about a *nix account - it could run to many thousands
   of entries!)
4/ A combination of 1 and 3.

He is now, no doubt, working on an appropriate solution.

-Rob

-- 
Rob Masters                                                     |PARC- Model /\
"I spy, with my little eye, something that's about to be-"      |Rocketry    ||
"Dead in a minute" Mr C & Mr V - Neverwhere,Neil Gaiman         |in Perth    ||
"Reality might not get out of beta today." O.Timas - Bot,S.Gange|PARC#: 9-2 /||\
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