4 ms·

Have you looked at the beta versions yet? The UI was overhauled over basically the last 1.5 years and the points mentioned in the blog post are the bits missing

Have you looked at the beta versions yet? The UI was overhauled over basically the last 1.5 years and the points mentioned in the blog post are the bits missing to release that as a stable version (IMAP IDLE mostly): https://github.com/k9mail/k-9/releases https://github.com/k9mail/k-9/releases I've been running the betas since more than a year without any problems whatsoever. (If you don't need push obviously)

out_of_protocol 6y ago
Is UI any different from current stable version?
- alvarlagerlof 6y ago
  I tried it from the Github releases page. It has definitely been updated a lot from the Play Store version.
- cketti 6y ago
  Yes. This blog post contains a few screenshots: https://k9mail.app/2020/06/01/Whats-Up-With-K-9-Mail https://k9mail.app/2020/06/01/Whats-Up-With-K-9-Mail
richardwhiuk 6y ago
I struggle to understand why there hasn't been a release for 1.5 years, especially with a ~full time dev. I definitely struggle to udnerstand why IMAP IDLE is critical for a release. Edit: Oh, probably a minSDK force - i.e. the cost of standing still in mobile development.
- Aachen 6y ago
  What's a minsdk force? I know what minsdk is but the sentence doesn't compute for me Edit: oh, randomly spotted this: > A major factor was the API level requirement by Google Play. It required us to make changes to internals of the app in order to be able to publish updates via the Play Store. I don't get the problem. Why not do a release? If google doesn't want the hard work and updates yet, fine, you can still tag a new release and people can use f-droid, download the apk, whatever right? (I'm using it via f-droid, thought most people would be doing that since it's an open source client with graphics from the 2009, the kind of thing you only use as foss fan).
  - richardwhiuk 6y ago
    In order to release a new version to the appstores, both Google and Apple require a certain minimum version for the app to be compiled against. Historically, Apple gives you about a year before you have to compile against the latest SDK, and Google gave you a lot longer. However, recently, both have become more aggressive about requiring new versions to be compiled against the latest SDKs. Thus you can't do a "proper" release without moving up to the latest SDK. Compiling against the latest SDK often breaks things, especially for an app which does a lot of things in the background. This is part of the "cost of staying still" in mobile app development, which is both hard to predict, and can be very expensive.
    - Aachen 6y ago
      Does this also mean older devices are forced into obsolescence? Since this is minsdk and not maxsdk it sounds like it, but there's still many apps that run on my 2018 device with Android 7 (and even 2012 device with 4.4) so that can't really be.
      - distances 6y ago
        No it doesn't. It's about targetSdk, not minSdk.
        richardwhiuk 6y ago
        Sorry, yes, I mean targetSdk not minSdk - though in practice they are linked.
        distances 6y ago
        No, they aren't linked. Maybe you are mixing it with compileSdk, that and targetSdk are usually linked but minSdk is almost always considerably behind.
      - swanswan 6y ago
        Well anyway older devices are indeed forced into obsolescence, at least OS-wise.
- cketti 6y ago
  > I definitely struggle to understand why IMAP IDLE is critical for a release. The functionality is present in the latest stable version, but needs to be reimplemented in the new version. As a user I would be upset if the app was updated and that feature taken away, even if it was only temporary.
  - richardwhiuk 6y ago
    Which leads to the question about why it was removed...
    - rlpb 6y ago
      Something to do with issues with newer Android no longer permitting the background connection to remain open for battery saving purposes, I think?
      - zlynx 6y ago
        I am not using the beta version of K-9. I was able to make it work mostly correctly on Android 11 by setting it to "Not Optimized" in the battery power permissions. That will allow it to run in the background. It seems to be able to use IDLE and to also run its periodic polling that way. Otherwise I would open K-9 and it would be hours out of date.
y04nn 6y ago
Thanks for the tip, the GitHub release makes a real difference compared to the outdated version on the Play Store. It's sad that there is not many reliable email client alternatives to GMail that works with custom server.
- JohnTHaller 6y ago
  You can subscribe to the beta channel on the play store, too

out_of_protocol 6y ago

Is UI any different from current stable version?

alvarlagerlof 6y ago
I tried it from the Github releases page. It has definitely been updated a lot from the Play Store version.
cketti 6y ago
Yes. This blog post contains a few screenshots: https://k9mail.app/2020/06/01/Whats-Up-With-K-9-Mail https://k9mail.app/2020/06/01/Whats-Up-With-K-9-Mail

richardwhiuk 6y ago

I struggle to understand why there hasn't been a release for 1.5 years, especially with a ~full time dev. I definitely struggle to udnerstand why IMAP IDLE is critical for a release. Edit: Oh, probably a minSDK force - i.e. the cost of standing still in mobile development.

Aachen 6y ago
What's a minsdk force? I know what minsdk is but the sentence doesn't compute for me Edit: oh, randomly spotted this: > A major factor was the API level requirement by Google Play. It required us to make changes to internals of the app in order to be able to publish updates via the Play Store. I don't get the problem. Why not do a release? If google doesn't want the hard work and updates yet, fine, you can still tag a new release and people can use f-droid, download the apk, whatever right? (I'm using it via f-droid, thought most people would be doing that since it's an open source client with graphics from the 2009, the kind of thing you only use as foss fan).
- richardwhiuk 6y ago
  In order to release a new version to the appstores, both Google and Apple require a certain minimum version for the app to be compiled against. Historically, Apple gives you about a year before you have to compile against the latest SDK, and Google gave you a lot longer. However, recently, both have become more aggressive about requiring new versions to be compiled against the latest SDKs. Thus you can't do a "proper" release without moving up to the latest SDK. Compiling against the latest SDK often breaks things, especially for an app which does a lot of things in the background. This is part of the "cost of staying still" in mobile app development, which is both hard to predict, and can be very expensive.
  - Aachen 6y ago
    Does this also mean older devices are forced into obsolescence? Since this is minsdk and not maxsdk it sounds like it, but there's still many apps that run on my 2018 device with Android 7 (and even 2012 device with 4.4) so that can't really be.
    - distances 6y ago
      No it doesn't. It's about targetSdk, not minSdk.
      - richardwhiuk 6y ago
        Sorry, yes, I mean targetSdk not minSdk - though in practice they are linked.
        distances 6y ago
        No, they aren't linked. Maybe you are mixing it with compileSdk, that and targetSdk are usually linked but minSdk is almost always considerably behind.
    - swanswan 6y ago
      Well anyway older devices are indeed forced into obsolescence, at least OS-wise.
cketti 6y ago
> I definitely struggle to understand why IMAP IDLE is critical for a release. The functionality is present in the latest stable version, but needs to be reimplemented in the new version. As a user I would be upset if the app was updated and that feature taken away, even if it was only temporary.
- richardwhiuk 6y ago
  Which leads to the question about why it was removed...
  - rlpb 6y ago
    Something to do with issues with newer Android no longer permitting the background connection to remain open for battery saving purposes, I think?
    - zlynx 6y ago
      I am not using the beta version of K-9. I was able to make it work mostly correctly on Android 11 by setting it to "Not Optimized" in the battery power permissions. That will allow it to run in the background. It seems to be able to use IDLE and to also run its periodic polling that way. Otherwise I would open K-9 and it would be hours out of date.

y04nn 6y ago

Thanks for the tip, the GitHub release makes a real difference compared to the outdated version on the Play Store. It's sad that there is not many reliable email client alternatives to GMail that works with custom server.

JohnTHaller 6y ago
You can subscribe to the beta channel on the play store, too