summaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/doc/tech-notes
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to 'doc/tech-notes')
-rw-r--r--doc/tech-notes/index.html2
-rw-r--r--doc/tech-notes/tech-notes.txt180
2 files changed, 1 insertions, 181 deletions
diff --git a/doc/tech-notes/index.html b/doc/tech-notes/index.html
index ec9dd49a..855ba3c2 100644
--- a/doc/tech-notes/index.html
+++ b/doc/tech-notes/index.html
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
<BODY>
<H1>Alpine Technical Notes</H1>
-Version 2.20.15, August 2016
+Version 2.20.16, September 2016
<H2><A NAME="TOC">Table of Contents</A></H2><P>
diff --git a/doc/tech-notes/tech-notes.txt b/doc/tech-notes/tech-notes.txt
index 0c7192b0..8ea8d93b 100644
--- a/doc/tech-notes/tech-notes.txt
+++ b/doc/tech-notes/tech-notes.txt
@@ -1,184 +1,4 @@
- Alpine Technical Notes
-
- Version 2.20.15, August 2016
-
-Table of Contents
-
- Introduction
-
- * Design Goals
- * Alpine Components
-
- Background Details
-
- * Domain Names
- * RFC 2822 Compliance
- * SMTP and Sendmail
- * Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)
- * Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME)
- * Folder Collections
-
- Building and Installation
-
- * Compile-time Options
- * Including LDAP Functionality
- * Including Kerberos 5 Functionality
- * Other Alpine Compile-time Options
- * IMAPd Compile-time Options
- * Building the Alpine Programs
- * Installing Alpine and Pico on UNIX Platforms
- * Installing PC-Alpine
- * Installing IMAPd
- * Support Files and Environment Variables: UNIX Alpine
- * Support Files, Environment Variables, and Registry Values:
- PC-Alpine
-
- Command Line Arguments
-
- * Alpine
- * Pico
- * Pilot
-
- Configuration and Preferences
-
- * Alpine Configuration
- * General Configuration Variables
- * Configuration Features
- * Hidden Config Variables and Features
- * Retired Variables
- * Tokens for Index and Replying
- * Conditional Inclusion of Text for Reply-Leadin, Signatures, and
- Templates
- * Per Server Directory Configuration
- * Color Configuration
- * Index Line Color Configuration
- * Role Configuration
- * Filtering Configuration
- * Scoring Configuration
- * Other Rules Configuration
- * Search Rules Configuration
- * Patterns
- * Configuring News
- Configuration Notes
- + Alpine in Function Key Mode
- + Domain Settings
- + Syntax for Collections
- + Syntax for Folder Names
- + Server Name Syntax
- + Folder Namespaces
- + What is a Mail Drop?
- + Sorting a Folder
- + Alternate Editor
- + Signatures and Signature Placement
- + Feature List Variable
- + Configuration Inheritance
- + Using Environment Variables
- + SMTP Servers
- + MIME.Types file
- + Color Details
- + S/MIME Overview
- + Additional Notes on PC-Alpine
-
- Behind the Scenes
-
- * Address Books
- * Remote Configuration
- * Checkpointing
- * Debug Files
- * INBOX and Special Folders
- * Internal Help Files
- * International Character Sets
- * Interrupted and Postponed Messages
- * Message Status
- * MIME: Reading a Message
- * MIME: Sending a Message
- * New Mail Notification
- * NFS
- * Printers and Printing
- * Save and Export
- * Sent Mail
- * Spell Checker
- * Terminal Emulation and Key Mapping
-
- Introduction
-
-Design Goals
-
- Throughout _Alpine_ development, we have had to strike a balance
- between the need to include features which advanced users require and
- the need to keep things simple for beginning users. To strike this
- balance, we have tried to adhere to these design principles:
-
- - The model presented to the user has to be simple and clear.
- Underlying system operation is hidden as much as possible.
- - It's better to have a few easily understood commands that can
- be repeated than to have some more sophisticated command that
- will do the job all at once.
- - Whenever the user has to select a command, file name, address,
- etc., the user should be given (or can get) a menu from which to
- make the selection. Menus need to be complete, small, organized
- and well thought out.
- - _Alpine_ must provide immediate feedback for the user with
- each operation.
- - _Alpine_ must be very tolerant of user errors. Any time a user
- is about to perform an irreversible act (send a message, expunge
- messages from a folder), _Alpine_ should ask for confirmation.
- - Users should be able to learn by exploration without fear of
- doing anything wrong. This is an important feature so the user
- can get started quickly without reading any manuals and so fewer
- manuals are required.
- - The core set of _Alpine_ functions should be kept to a minimum
- so new users don't feel "lost" in seemingly extraneous commands
- and concepts.
-
- Just as there were goals relating to the look and feel of _Alpine_,
- there were equally important goals having to do with _Alpine_'s
- structure-the things that users never see but still rely on every time
- they use _Alpine_. While _Alpine_ can be used as a stand-alone mail
- user agent, one of its strongest assets is its use of the Internet
- Message Access Protocol (IMAP) for accessing remote email folders. In
- addition, _Pine_ (the predecessor of _Alpine_) was one of the first
- programs to support the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME)
- specification. With MIME, _Alpine_ users can reliably send any binary
- file to any other person on the Internet who uses a MIME compliant
- email program.
-
- The decision to use IMAP and MIME reflects the importance of
- interoperability, standardization and robustness in _Alpine_. As you
- work with _Alpine_ more, you will see other features which reflect the
- same values. For example, _Alpine_ enforces strict compliance with RFC
- 2822, implements a strong mail folder locking mechanism and verifies a
- process before overwriting any files (e.g. addressbook, expunging
- messages).
-
-Alpine Components
-
- If you have picked up the _Alpine_ distribution, then you already know
- that _Alpine_ comes in a few different pieces. They are:
-
- _Alpine_
- The main code from which the _Alpine_ program is compiled.
- _Pico_
- _Pico_ is the name for the _Alpine_ composer. The _Pico_ code is
- used in two ways: (1) it is compiled on its own to be a
- stand-alone editor and, (2) it is compiled as a library for
- _Alpine_ to support composition of messages within _Alpine_.
- _Pico_ is _Alpine_'s internal editor invoked when users need to
- fill in header lines or type the text of an email message.
- _Imap_
- An API for IMAP. Includes the C-Client library, which is
- compiled into _Alpine_, and the IMAP server _IMAPd_. C-Client
- implements the IMAP protocol and also negotiates all access
- between _Alpine_ and the mail folders it operates on, even if
- the folders are local. The C-Client routines are used for email
- folder parsing and interpreting MIME messages. _IMAPd_ is a
- separate server that handles IMAP connections from any
- IMAP-compliant email program. When _Alpine_ accesses a remote
- mailbox, the _Alpine_ program is the IMAP client and the _IMAPd_
- program is the IMAP server. Of course, _Alpine_ can use any
- IMAP-compliant IMAP server, not just _IMAPd_.
-
Background Details
Domain Names