Possible iMAP server

[Richard Pieri]

On Jun 28, 2010, at 4:29 PM, Derek Martin wrote:
> 
> All those extra system calls really add up for large mailboxes.

So does having your connection to the server time out because the header scan of a 7GB mbox file takes so long.

> Maildir also loses because on many filesystems, directories containing
> many files are inherently slow to deal with.

Only if the IMAP server is stupid.  Dovecot isn't.  Dovecot maintains several databases.  The only times that Dovecot goes to actual mail files is when the MUA asks for those specific files.

If you have human users then use Maildir.  Not because it's better for them.  Because it's better for you as the admin.  You won't have to worry about them doing any housecleaning or what happens when they don't.  You won't have to clean up the mess when the IMAP server barfs on a fHuge file.  Your incremental and/or versioned backup sets of their data will be smaller and run faster.  You win and they don't lose.  Can't beat that with a stick.

--Rich P.