[imp] Mac attachment testing report

[Joe Kletch]

On Mar 3, 2004, at 11:37 AM, Henry Blackman wrote:

>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joe Kletch" <joe at kletch.com>
>
>
>
>> Hey all,
>>
>> I setup a number of webmail clients, including IMP, and a test 
>> protocol
>> to test their ability to handle Mac files that are not BinHexed or
>> Stuufed.  My client gave me a tall order to find a webmail client that
>> could handle these diverse requirements and none were able to.
>>
>> If your interested the report is located here:
>>
>> http://webmail.burtonmayer.com/report.html
>>
>> At this point I am not too optimistic that anyone will work on this as
>> even Apple is moving away from their old file format.  Any comments 
>> and
>> suggestions will be appreciated.
>
> I have to admit my primary development environment is Mac OS X 
> Panther, and
> Apple Mail is my primary email client.  I have not had any problems in
> working with IMP (even quite old versions), to do anything at all, 
> ever!
>
> AppleDouble encoding basically sends two files, as the attachment.  
> Outlook
> and Outlook Express don't handle this, but you can still download the
> correct file (the larger of the two).  This is what the current 
> version of
> IMP does.  I don't see a problem with this.

And they don't think that is good enough.

>
> It's also quite possible to add data-types, and therefore icons to the 
> Horde
> framework which will then display them.  Again, not all desktop based
> mailers handle such esoteric attachments correctly either!
>

By Icons I meant once downloaded and on the desktop/HD in Panther, not 
in IMP.

This is frustrating because I have alarmed you guys, and sounding like 
a complainer, but I am in agreement with you on all accounts. You've 
done a great job.

If I had to sum it up I am trying to get to point that I can move on 
and finish the setup of their webmail system or learn I am doing 
something wrong or further developments may make it better.

I need the bounds of operation--and if I need to gather more data I 
will.

Here is an example I was provided: a Quark Express file named '4.25 x 
4.5' no extension sent from a customer running OS 9 or something old 
like that, with little text in the email explaining it and they expect 
their prepress to be able to open the document flawlessly. If this was 
received in an Apple Mail application all would be fine--the attachment 
would be saved on the HD and it would have the Quark Express icon and 
when they double click the file it opens in Quark Express.

If this example email were opened in IMP there would be the box:
This message contains a Macintosh file.

The Macintosh resource fork can be downloaded HERE.

And clicking HERE will open a window then file is downloaded. The 
downloaded file on the HD has blank icon and double clicking it brings 
up the dialog box asking what application to use to open it. The monkey 
in prepress doesn't know what application to open in it because the 
sender didn't inform them.

It is my understanding that the data in the resource fork of the Mac 
file is what enables the icon of the file on the HD to have the icon 
from the program it is meant to be opened in.  But I do not understand 
how these get reassembled and if IMP is supposed to be doing this and 
if anything else in the resource fork is not there.

Joe Kletch