Transferring Mail messages

[j o a r]

On 11 dec 2006, at 21.22, Karl Kuehn wrote:

>> I have an iMac and an iBook and use Mail as my mail application.  
>> Until now, I have been using the iMac as my "main" e-mail  
>> workstation and then using the iBook to check e-mail periodically  
>> (I have Mail configured so that messages sit on my server until I  
>> have moved them out of the inbox on the iMac). Now however I want  
>> to start using my iBook as my main mail workstation. I can change  
>> the configuration so that messages sit on my server until I move  
>> them out of my inbox on the iBook instead, but is there a way to  
>> transfer all old messages sitting in folders on my iMac to my iBook?
>
> 	For this sort of setup I would strongly suggest that you look  
> around for an email provider that provides IMAP service with a good  
> mailbox quota. If you get that, then the only difference between  
> your primary and secondary (or any other) computers is that your  
> primary would be the one to hold your email archives (to reduce  
> used space on the server).

I just got this same question from a friend of mine. The problem in  
his case is that he is a graphics designer and photographer, so he  
has HUGE mailboxes - which, of course, makes the suggestion to use  
IMAP impractical / impossible, unless you run your own server.

Any solutions for keeping two copies of Mail in sync without using IMAP?

I'm hoping that he will end up using Mail only on his new MacBook  
Pro, and not on his desktop, but it seems like a silly limitation,  
and a problem without a simple and reliably solution...   :-(

It would of course be possible to hack something together using  
rsync, but that's not something I would personally be interested in  
either developing or supporting... I'm looking for something more  
reliable, preferably with proper support.


BTW: If anyone is interested in running their own IMAP mailserver for  
home use, check out the new "Community Edition" of the Communigate  
Pro mail server:

	<http://mail.stalker.com/Lists/CGatePro/Message/87151.html>

Communigate Pro is a great piece of software - extremely reliable,  
capable, and easy to administrate. That you can now get their 5-user  
version for free is pretty cool.


j o a r