IMAP server and client recommendations?

[Bill Moran]

Danny MacMillan wrote:
> Hello.
> 
> I have six or seven hundred megabytes of email imprisoned in a few .pst 
> (Microsoft Outlook "Personal Folders") files.  I've been looking for an 
> alternative email client lately.  Of course, the issue is converting 
> these old messages so that they are usable by the new software -- 
> ideally so that multiple clients could access the mail.  The thought 
> that immediately occurred to me was that one of the standard Unix 
> formats -- mbox or maildir -- would be appropriate for this task.
> 
> After scouring the internet for possibilities for converting between the 
> hated .pst format and mbox or Maildir, I found a few people who'd 
> seemingly hit upon an ideal solution:  add an IMAP folder to Outlook and 
> copy their mail to that folder, then do the reverse inside a client that 
> stores its mail in mbox or maildir format.  Then it struck me -- 
> =leaving= the mail in the IMAP server would give me even more flexibility.
> 
> Is it feasible to use the IMAP server as a mail storage solution like 
> this?  Can anyone recommend a good IMAP server (for FreeBSD of course) 
> and give me some tips on considerations for choosing one?  I blush to 
> say it, but I've never even had an IMAP account.

First, I agree with you and others that this is a good way to go.

Second, I just want to add one more choice to the list of excellent IMAP
servers you might want to use: dovecot.

I've found dovecot to be fast, and simple compared to other IMAP servers.

Of course, the biggest problem with open source software is there are too
many good choices :)

-- 
Bill Moran
Potential Technologies
http://www.potentialtech.com