4 ms·

My question is why not use IMAP?

by abirch 3mo ago

subhobroto 3mo ago
That's what they used to do: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48708270 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48708270 The OP had posted a detailed reply here as well, that they since deleted - I think because they didn't want to deal with all the pushback here.
- ltiger 3mo ago
  No, I'm not afraid of pushback at all. I'm actually really glad I used IMAP. Building on top of it let me solve a few major protocol headaches directly in the client: The app filters out signature junk (like tiny social media and logo icons), pulls down just the raw attachments instead of downloading entire 20-year-old message threads, and handles thousands of images while gracefully managing Google's rate limits (to avoid connection drops).
ltiger 3mo ago
It actually does use IMAP! The app connects directly to Google's IMAP servers via SSL straight from your machine. I intentionally chose a local IMAP pipeline over the official Gmail API because of platform gatekeeping. To use the API for this, Google forces independent developers into a "Restricted Scope" tier, which requires an annual $15,000+ third-party security assessment. Going the local IMAP route lets me bypass that completely while keeping user data 100% local and secure.
- kbelder 3mo ago
  I don't like how somebody is flagging/downvoting all your comments. This is about your product; it's highly relevant, whatever somebody might think about it.
  - mmh0000 3mo ago
    I don't think it's just "somebody"; I think it's a lot of bodies. I'm downvoting him too because he vibe-coded a super simple "app", then is trying to sell it here as some life-saving tool . My main complaints: - Why is this $30? - Why is it Windows/Mac only? - Why is it Gmail only when it's using IMAP? But what really irks me is that you know you can do this exact thing with like two Linux CLI commands? ``` $ offlineimap -c <configfile with credentials> $ mae export --maildir=test/fixtures/simple --output-dir=test/tmp_output ``` [1] https://github.com/mrtazz/mae https://github.com/mrtazz/mae
    - ltiger 3mo ago
      [flagged]

My question is why not use IMAP?

by abirch 3mo ago

My question is why not use IMAP?

That's what they used to do: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48708270 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48708270 The OP had posted a detailed reply here as well, that they since deleted - I think because they didn't want to deal with all the pushback here.

ltiger 3mo ago
No, I'm not afraid of pushback at all. I'm actually really glad I used IMAP. Building on top of it let me solve a few major protocol headaches directly in the client: The app filters out signature junk (like tiny social media and logo icons), pulls down just the raw attachments instead of downloading entire 20-year-old message threads, and handles thousands of images while gracefully managing Google's rate limits (to avoid connection drops).

ltiger 3mo ago

It actually does use IMAP! The app connects directly to Google's IMAP servers via SSL straight from your machine. I intentionally chose a local IMAP pipeline over the official Gmail API because of platform gatekeeping. To use the API for this, Google forces independent developers into a "Restricted Scope" tier, which requires an annual $15,000+ third-party security assessment. Going the local IMAP route lets me bypass that completely while keeping user data 100% local and secure.

kbelder 3mo ago
I don't like how somebody is flagging/downvoting all your comments. This is about your product; it's highly relevant, whatever somebody might think about it.
- mmh0000 3mo ago
  I don't think it's just "somebody"; I think it's a lot of bodies. I'm downvoting him too because he vibe-coded a super simple "app", then is trying to sell it here as some life-saving tool . My main complaints: - Why is this $30? - Why is it Windows/Mac only? - Why is it Gmail only when it's using IMAP? But what really irks me is that you know you can do this exact thing with like two Linux CLI commands? ``` $ offlineimap -c <configfile with credentials> $ mae export --maildir=test/fixtures/simple --output-dir=test/tmp_output ``` [1] https://github.com/mrtazz/mae https://github.com/mrtazz/mae
  - ltiger 3mo ago
    [flagged]