[sork] the sork conglomerate

[Eric Rostetter]

Quoting Tim Gorter <email@teletechnics.com>:

> I've been looking over the various files that make up the Sork collection,
> and intend to start re-working them to suit my application.

Cool!

> Saying that I
> would like to see where the rest of the development team is up to, as I
> certainly don't want to double up on work.

Good.
 
> A few problems I have that I want to resolve include.
> using .forward file for forwards.
> I want to transfer this function to procmail, as this allows a lot more
> flexibility, multiple forwards if needed, some filtering if wanted.

We do want to make a procmail version or two.  Your help is appreciated.
If you can wait a bit, you may want to wait until I reorganize the forwards
module (ala the passwd module) to use a Drivers class setup.  But you don't
have to wait if you don't want, as we can simply change it to the new format
afterwords (without any real problems).

Question is which method(s) of procmail you want to use.  My greatest concern
would be one that operates just like the .forward version -- it puts the
procmail file into each user's home directory.  There are others who want
all rules put into one file (e.g. /etc/procmailrc) and others who have a
setup where procmail files goes elsewhere, but one per user (so each file
might be, e.g. /var/procmail/$USER for each user).  So which one or more
of these would you be interested in?

As for as filtering, this would be redundent with the filtering in IMP 
already, but I'd still be interested in adding a real well done filtering
module, since filtering is best done by the server and not the client.

BTW, .forward allows for multiple forwards...

> Same goes with the vacation module, this I would like to do via procmail as
> well, again to allow for filtering, also to allow the simultaneous feature
> of doing an auto-answer and forwarding a message, as (against popular
> belief) I have several people who do this, not because they are on
> vacation, but because they are travelling, and may use alternative boxes
> because of this, but want to warn people of a delayed receipts or similar.

Sounds good.   No work here yet, so feel free to go for it.

> And again they sometimes set a filter, i.e. so that only messages to a max
> size are forwarded, for the same reason, for those people who are
> travelling, using alternative boxes thus or have the big messages moved out
> of the inbox into a holding folder, so they don't interfere with a POP
> session. 

Okay, I don't have an issue with simple filtering like message size, going
into the forwarding.

> I know there is a separate group starting on the SAM module for SpamAssasin
> integration. Again I want to pull this under the one hat, as in end effect
> it has to do with mail filtering that can be done via procmail.

I don't see any reason to move SAM or any functionality of SAM into our
modules.  SAM is a bit different in goals and design that what I would
want in sork.  But I'm willing to have a simple filtering module added
to sork (filter based on header/content/size/etc as a server function
rather than a client function).

> now I am not a super programmer, nor am I familiar with the CVS repository
> system. So at the moment I look forward to the help of you guys, and if you
> have already something in this direction, it would be nice to talk to you.

Talk away.  Most of what you want has already been discussed, requested,
and or added to the todo list.  But some (like filtering) is new.  procmail
backends for the modules are very much desired, so your efforts would be
greatly appreciated.

You don't have to be a great coder -- I can clean up the code you submit
if it isn't up to specs.  But code/patches certainly would speed up 
development...

> cheers,
> tim.

-- 
Eric Rostetter
The Department of Physics
The University of Texas at Austin

"TAD (Technology Attachment Disorder) is an unshakable, impractical devotion
to a brand, platform, product line, or programming language. It's relatively
harmless among the rank and file, but when management is afflicted the damage
can be measured in dollars. It's also contagious -- someone with sufficient
political clout can infect an entire organization."

--"Enterprise Strategies" columnist Tom Yager.