[Kroupware] Kroupware RFC update

[Hartmut Goebel]

Stephan Buys wrote:

> Same as before: Any comments welcome :-)

Well, you asked for my 2c :-)

> 1.2 Related Documents

All RFCs I've seen have this part at the end.

> ---------------------SECTION 2 (To be removed) -------------------------------

I suggest stripping this down to something like the following and but it 
  into 'introduction'.

"""
Typical Groupware items are:
- Contacts: Analogous to Business Cards.
- Calendar Entries: private calendar entries
- Notes
- Tasks: private action items
"""

This brings the question to my mind: what about public tasks/cal-entries?

>    FIXME - In the KMail client the folders are all stored under a specific
>    folder. Would it be possible to have all the folders under the root
>    folder? Ie. INBOX, Contacts, Tasks, etc. on the same depth?

Since they are displayed at the top level, I suggest them to be stored 
there. AFAIK cyrus may be configured (option 'altnamespace') to display 
_all_ folders on the same level as INBOX or as subfolders of INBOX.

>    FIXME (new) - A suggestion has been made that the folders should not
>    be listed at all with the LIST or LSUB commands but should be accessed
>    through hard-coded default folders. 

This is a requirement for the Groupware-Server? Has the Groupware-Server 
to hide/suppress these folders?

 > This is not possible with Bynari
>    but Kolab can do this. Folders can also be hidden on the IMAP server.

I strongly suggest defined folder names which are translated into the 
currents application's locale by the client. Otherwise switching the 
client's locale would affect the functionality. And imagine a co-worker 
using a different locale: how should she be able to read your 
calendar-entries?

>    Suggestion: Maybe there should be special, hidden folders like:
>    __GW_Contacts, __GW_Calendar, __GW_Tasks, __GW_Notes?

Sounds good, but I would leave out the "GW".

Another thing that comes to my mind: what about using special flags? 
This could even be an alternative to fixed names.

>    FIXME - Describe the process whereby a UA logs into the IMAP server
>    and the transport is used. Security comes into this as well. Do we do
>    any special actions or do we just open the hardcoded folders?

What do you mean here? Isn't this already covered by the IMAP protocol?

>    FIXME - What consideration is given to offline storage or is it
>    defined by the UA? Disconnected IMAP?

Why should the RFC care about how the client stores data? This is up to 
the clients implementation.

>    FIXME - Should the UA have hardcoded folder names? Ideally there will
>    be fixed names for the folders with a translation done by the client.
>    This way different clients using different languages can use the same
>    store. Is this feasible?

Why should this be un-feasible?

> 4. IMAP Groupware Folders

I suggest:

"""
Each Groupware item (contact, task, etc.) is
represented as a SINGLE multi-part MIME email with an appropriate item 
attached.

     gw-Item       Folder         mail-item
     Contact	   __Contacts    vCard [vCard]
     ...
"""
FIXME:      Content-Type: Text/X-VCard; ???


And 4.1 to 4.4 should become "Examples".

>    Each contact is represented as a multi-part MIME email with a [vCard]
>    attached in the user's IMAP contact folder.

If the vCard is the main-part of the message, why require multi-part? If 
there are attachments, okay, but if there is only the vCard?

Regarding Tasks: Does [iCal] define priority-values? Something like 1 to 
5, "unset", "important", "junk", etc. If not, I suggest to include these 
here.


Regards
Hartmut Goebel
-- 
| Hartmut Goebel             | strategisch-technische IT-Beratung |
| h.goebel at goebel-consult.de | www.goebel-consult.de              |