Daniel Aleksandersen

ZeroConfig makes all the difference

Friday, December 25, 2009 1:35:04 AM

Today I added “Zero-configuration networking” to my list of feature requirements for my email client. This little feature that the user doesn’t ever notice makes all the difference [initially]. After fiddling with getting my three IMAP accounts working in Mozilla Thunderbird on two machines for our an hour; I really understand and appreciate the necessity of ZeroConf.

To put it simple in the context of email, ZeroConf means: intelligently attempting to figure out the correct server addresses, ports, and security settings without prompting/confusing/annoying the user.

Opera Mail is faking this behaviour by shipping with a list of popular configurations. This sort of works too. But that solution doesn’t scale nor work for everyone.

Without studying this too closely, it looks like Thunderbird does something in between ZeroConf and the Opera Mail approach. It tries a list of subdomains (pop3., imap.) and fails if the server admin have deviated just a little from what Thunderbird expects.

Thunderbird couldn’t figure out any of my three accounts (provided by Runbox, FastMail, and Subsys). Opera Mail only one of the accounts. …but Apple Mail got all of the three accounts without problem. Thus immediately giving the user what they want: their email, not endless dialogs and corrections to those dialogs.

Opera 10.50 finally goes CocoaRestoring the address bar in Opera

Comments

Marcin Jessaezunix # Sunday, December 27, 2009 3:01:36 PM

Real men run their own servers

Daniel Aleksandersendaniel # Monday, December 28, 2009 6:52:00 AM

You’re right. Of course. But how does that solve client side problems?

Charles SchlossChas4 # Tuesday, December 29, 2009 6:04:19 AM

Have you used the rules in Mail on the mac they are very useful

Mail.app rules!
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/12/01/mail-app-rules/

Marcin Jessaezunix # Sunday, January 3, 2010 1:48:15 AM

You're right, zeroconfig would make things easier for an average user.
I run my own server and I know how to configure my client against it.
There is no need for goofing around with unknown issues.
I also use message filter import/export extension whenever I have to export my config to a different profile. Or I just scp my ~/.mozilla-thunderbird to the new desktop.