Curious kmail question

[Andy Green]

Chris G wrote:

>>>> I guess I could export this as well -
>>>> but is there any other (simple) solution?
>>> Yup.  Use IMAP instead of NFS.
>> Doesn't IMAP download the email to the local machine?
>>
> Not unless you specifically copy mail to local folders, no.  By
> default all you IMAP mail (in folders if you have created them) is
> kept on the server.

The clients pull the list of mails that exist, and can decide to cache 
mails that you have read, but should leave everything on the IMAP server.

>> I am trying dovecot on the server
>> and kmail on the laptop with an IMAP account.
>> Maybe I have set it up wrongly,
>> but as I said the email is downloaded to the laptop,
>> so if I use another laptop I cannot see this email.
>>
> I suspect that kmail isn't a very clever IMAP client then.

It does seem kmail is not as great as it could be.

But a cool side-effect of using IMAP is that your mail is all sat there 
on the server whatever your client, so the hassle of trying another 
client is now much lower -- all your old mail and mail folders are going 
to show up in the new client without any extra configuration.

Why not try Thunderbird pointed to the same IMAP server?

-Andy