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0001 % vim: spelllang=en spell textwidth=120 0002 \documentclass[trojita]{subfiles} 0003 0004 \begin{document} 0005 0006 \chapter{Introduction} 0007 0008 \begin{quote} 0009 \itshape I also believe the only reason we still use email is that it’s impossible or very difficult to replace, kind 0010 of like Facebook in a way. \attrib{Heidar Bernhardsson \cite{email-difficult-to-replace-like-facebook}} 0011 \end{quote} 0012 0013 The boom of mobile computing in the last few years has changed the way how people work with their e-mail. After a short 0014 period where it appeared that the webmail was the future and days of standard protocols were numbered, suddenly people 0015 realized that in fact, there {\em is} a merit in having a standardized protocol for e-mail access. 0016 0017 Contemporary smartphones started to smear down the border between how a text message, an instant-messaging (IM) 0018 communication and a traditional e-mail work. Suddenly, it is common to have a single ``messaging'' application 0019 aggregating communication history gathered from many distinct channels. 0020 0021 Even though some people prefer not to use these integrated facilities, their mere existence and certain demand from the 0022 end-users present an unique opportunity for standardization --- it is easier to develop, test and deploy {\em one} 0023 particular data provider suitable for use with many different services from multitude of vendors than having to deploy a 0024 custom implementation for each social network which happens to be popular this year and on the continent the device 0025 manufacturer decided to target. Engineers working for cell phone and tablet vendors who are taking place in the IETF 0026 standardization process are a clear evidence that the market recognizes this potential and that nobody wants to loose. 0027 0028 In this thesis, I would like to explore the IMAP protocol \cite{rfc3501} and its rich extension family, evaluating their 0029 features by a prism of a {\em mobile client} --- a device which might have a decent amount of CPU and memory resources, 0030 as common with today's smartphones and modern tablets, but whose network connection is prone to frequent interruptions 0031 and might be payed based on the amount of transferred data, and whose battery would get extinguished in a few hours if 0032 certain precautions are not taken. It turns out that although many of the IMAP extensions are extremely useful for 0033 increased efficiency of the client's operation, there are still quite a few opportunities for improvement, or outright 0034 deficiencies to correct. 0035 0036 \section{Structure of the Thesis} 0037 0038 The next chapter (p. \pageref{sec:imap-protocol}) of this thesis provides a brief introduction to the baseline IMAP 0039 protocol, its strengths and weaknesses and the general mode of operation. The third chapter (p. 0040 \pageref{sec:imap-extensions}) analyzes the existing IMAP extensions based on the ``layer'' on which they add features 0041 to IMAP and on how they could be useful for the clients. Their usefulness is illustrated through my experience in 0042 development of {\em Trojitá}, an open source mobile IMAP e-mail client which I started and have been maintaining for the 0043 last six years. In chapter four (p. \pageref{sec:proposed-extensions}), I have selected three completely different 0044 areas in which the state of IMAP, as of 2012, can still be built upon. My improvements are delivered in the format of 0045 the so-called {\em Internet Drafts}, materials directly used by the IETF as the source of the RFC documents, the 0046 specifications which drive innovation on the Internet. All of the extensions which I propose were presented for expert 0047 review through the relevant communication channels and are on track to become the Internet-Drafts and, hopefully, RFCs. 0048 0049 After the theoretical section, chapter five (p. \pageref{sec:mobile-imap}) evaluates the status of the extension support 0050 among a selection of existing mobile clients available on the market and on real devices. Chapter six serves as a short 0051 introduction for programmers into how Trojitá, the mobile e-mail client developed for this thesis, operates. The work 0052 is concluded and a discussion of the work planned in future is available from chapter seven (p. 0053 \pageref{sec:conclusion}). 0054 0055 All of the extensions which I am proposing are available in their traditional, formal format in Appendix \ref{sec:id-manuscripts} 0056 (p. \pageref{sec:id-manuscripts}). 0057 0058 Finally, as Trojitá is a free software, open-source project, Appendix \ref{sec:acknowledgement} (p. 0059 \pageref{sec:acknowledgement}) acknowledges the work of other developers who have contributed to Trojitá over the years 0060 and lists the open source libraries required for its operation. It also mentions two companies which decided to build 0061 their e-mail products on top of Trojitá. The instructions on how to build Trojitá from source as well as the structure 0062 of the accompanying CD are in Appendix \ref{sec:source-cd} (p. \pageref{sec:source-cd}). 0063 0064 \end{document}