foggy
Valued Member
I was explaining IMAP to a relative and she had a question I can't yet find an answer to:
For those who prefer not to have any email content stored locally on their computers (for whatever reason: security, privacy, etc.), is it possible, nevertheless, to have a desktop client as a "mail station," so that it can be used to read, move, file, delete, compose, send email IMAP-style, but will not retain downloaded email content between sessions, thus making it somewhat like an "email browser" ?
IOW, the idea would be that when first started, the desktop client will access the account(s) as usual, with all account information (username, password) remaining in the client long-term. And during the mail session inbox message headers will be downloaded, individual messages from the inbox and any other folder will be downloaded and read, etc. But when closed the client will purge all downloaded content without at that point having that deleting/purging process cause any online content to be affected. So that when next started the desktop client itself will be 'empty' (except for account information and folder list).
The idea also being that a draft can be begun with the client and saved on the server. But when the client is closed, once again only the local copy of the draft is removed, but the saved copy is still on the server.
For those who prefer not to have any email content stored locally on their computers (for whatever reason: security, privacy, etc.), is it possible, nevertheless, to have a desktop client as a "mail station," so that it can be used to read, move, file, delete, compose, send email IMAP-style, but will not retain downloaded email content between sessions, thus making it somewhat like an "email browser" ?
IOW, the idea would be that when first started, the desktop client will access the account(s) as usual, with all account information (username, password) remaining in the client long-term. And during the mail session inbox message headers will be downloaded, individual messages from the inbox and any other folder will be downloaded and read, etc. But when closed the client will purge all downloaded content without at that point having that deleting/purging process cause any online content to be affected. So that when next started the desktop client itself will be 'empty' (except for account information and folder list).
The idea also being that a draft can be begun with the client and saved on the server. But when the client is closed, once again only the local copy of the draft is removed, but the saved copy is still on the server.