offlineimap smart backup synchronization = bidirectional synchronization without deleting any messages

[Edward Z. Yang]

You might be interested the modified OfflineIMAP algorithm
described here: http://blog.ezyang.com/2012/08/how-offlineimap-works/
(see the bottom of the post).  A PoC patch is here:

    https://github.com/ezyang/offlineimap/commit/266c88f7a1b041ba169e0c0cab767bf412c23672

Edward

Excerpts from proxym's message of Mon Dec 03 16:02:12 -0800 2012:
> No no no...
> I don't want to use snapshots/tarbals. I just want bidirectional
> append only mode switch in OfflineIMAP and it's config file. Also I
> need allowing for editing of Drafts as exception in bidirectional
> append mode.
> 
> I already fixed this problem partially. But fix is ugly: I just call cp -al
> command to create hard links of all my letters (messages) after
> offlineimap finish synchronization. As you know every file already has
> counter of hard links to him with value 1. It is in
> ext2/ext3/ext4/ntfs file systems.
> cp -al just create something which I can name as new "file header" and
> increase hard link counter of file. If counter is 0, then no hard
> links exists anymore (file is totally removed from file system and
> will be rewrited by something else later). So hard links is good
> temporary solution for me.
> Hard links additional "headers" takes 44M for 1,4G Mail folder in my
> ext3 file system now.
> 
> I don't want tarbals. I choosed Maildir format specially, because it
> keeps one message by file (actually in raw email format, which is
> better). Even in case of file system damage I can restore most of my
> messages because of Maildir.
> 
> I know some people, which lost half or even all mail messages, because
> Google just cleaned their Gmail mailboxes by unknown reason (support
> answered that messages are not restorable). Offlineimap will remove
> local copy of messages in this case while next synchronuzation without
> any warning. Removing of messages by Google is in TERMS AND CONDITIONS
> of Gmail, if you did not know. Same is for any other free Mail server
> (maybe for non-free too).
> 
> 
> Maybe I don't know something about 'readonly' option... I thought it
> makes Maildir Mailbox not writable at all and it is not possible to
> add new email massages when readonly option is activated... Maybe I am
> not right... ?
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> 2012/12/3 Nicolas Sebrecht <nicolas.s-dev at laposte.net>:
> > On Sat, Dec 01, 2012 at 05:15:32PM +0300, proxym wrote:
> >> Offlineimap does bidirectional synchronization, but it is not smart,
> >> it's has not any options to configure behavior for deleting messages.
> >>
> >> I just want to do bidirectional synchronization without deleting
> >> anything ALWAYS. How can I get it with offlineimap?
> >
> > You need more than OfflineIMAP for what you expect. Coupling OfflineIMAP
> > with tarballs/snapshots of the local maildir could do the trick in your
> > case.
> >
> > OfflineIMAP alone can be used as a backup tool ('readonly' option helps
> > for the purpose) at the condition that the state of the mailbox is
> > _known_ to be correct (so, the sync IS the backup). OfflineIMAP does not
> > intend to provide history of backups or anything more advanced.
> >
> > --
> > Nicolas Sebrecht
>