Projects/xomail

This page is geared towards Summer of Code 2008 work on an email client.

Introduction

Currently there is a Gmail activity but no real email client that can be used in Sugar. The possibility of accessing/composing emails offline does not exist. An email client with mesh integration like direct sending to mesh buddies would be great, but the basic groundwork of a usable email activity is needed.

Collaboration tools are a very important part of the OLPC software bundle and an activity which brings email to the XO desktop and ties in with the environment would be a very useful addition.

Background

• Some notes from a former OLPC intern examining different email clients and recommendations. [1]
• Tinymail has an email client that could do with better Sugar integration

Deliverables

• A lightweight, functional email client with a child-friendly GUI
• A daemon should be developed for sending of unsent messages and receiving of new email, since can't assume the child will open the email activity when internet access is available.

Ideas

• Some basic requisites for an email client: Unicode support, search, filtering, threading, intuitive email management, an address book,
• POP/SMTP/IMAP including with SSL and TLS. POP should be more of a priority than IMAP because the whole point is disconnected operation.
• Center email organization around tags not folders, and make it easy to manage email.
• Easy configuration on first run and later.

Approach

Please note that this is (for now) my ideas for accomplishing what is needed. I am looking for feedback. ~ User:Shikhar