possible LDAP server from fastmail? - Page 2

Jeremy Howard · 15 Mar 2002, 06:04 AM

Sorry--"no-one" wasn't quite accurate.

I'm not inclined to make LDAP a priority if only one IMAP client supports it... (even if it is the best IMAP client

)

Any Moz hackers out there feel like adding LDAP authentication to Mozilla? ...

ppetru · 15 Mar 2002, 06:29 AM

Did you check Outlook? It should support it, given MS's focus on LDAP/Active Directory with win2k...

Jeremy Howard · 15 Mar 2002, 06:57 AM

Good point. They do have LDAP auth. Although I'd suspect that they use some complex proprietrary schema... I haven't actually checked though.

emsilva · 3 May 2002, 06:59 AM

There we go, Jeremy:

Client that supports IMAP and LDAP for Linux:

Balsa
Evolution
TradeClient
netscape-mail (http://developer.netscape.com/docs/m...tor/ldap45.htm)
mozilla (http://www.mozilla.org/mailnews/spec...ook/LDAP4.html)
mutt
exmh
pine*

Web based clients:

IMP
IMHO

Windows/(The most part here has their Mac Version)

MS Outlook
Lotus Notes*
Qualcom Eudora Pro
MCS Calypso
Net Manager Z-mail
Messaging Direct ExecMail
Green Baloney Mehtix

Those with "*" are the ones I KNOW supports read/write access to an LDAP server. I don't know about the others.
Mozilla *DOES* have support to LDAP as well.

Hey, *please* let me know any other information you want to start thinking about implement an LDAP server for us!

Regards,

Emannuel Silva
fastmail.fm - Just do it.

ppetru · 3 May 2002, 07:18 AM

Thanks Emannuel! Maybe Jeremy will more motivated now to implement it

Jeremy Howard · 3 May 2002, 08:35 AM

I'll only really be motivated to implement it if there is read/write access, AND authentication (not much use if you can edit someone else's addresses)!

Thanks for this great list, Emsilva; could you also add in an indicator of which support authentication and show only your personal contacts?

emsilva · 3 May 2002, 08:43 AM

More Information:

This article talks basically about OpenLDAP. And has information about how to get it, install it, use it, whatever you want to do!

http://www.linuxfocus.org/English/Ju...ticle159.shtml

If you want a TOOL to import the LDAP information to your preffered e-mail client, you can use the LDAPBrowser (http://www.ldapadministrator.com) for Windows or this one http://www.iit.edu/~gawojar/ldap/ (Java) for any operational system. With both you can export your ldap information to a ".ldif" file that can be imported into most e-mail clients.

That's all folks!

Regards,

Emannuel Silva
fastmail.fm - The freshmaker

emsilva · 3 May 2002, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Thanks for this great list, Emsilva; could you also add in an indicator of which support authentication and show only your personal contacts?

Sure... I don't know all those browsers, I just know what they can do. But I will try to find out. I will try to post an answer until monday about this one.

Regards,

Emannuel Silva
fastmail.fm - The best way to seize your life.

Yuyo · 3 May 2002, 09:16 AM

This would be an excellent feature and one more to
differentiate Fastmail from the pack.

I will even draft the marketing buzz in advance of its implementation to give the motivational push to Jeremy.

Here it is:

"Fastmail. fm has yet outdone itself once more. Not only does it provide fast access to your email no matter where you are, but now also features anywhere, anytime access to those bits of information that you cannot live without: your contacts. Through a robust implementation of the LDAP protocol, you can now access and edit your contacts on any email client that features LDAP authentication. Fastmail fulfills the promise of anywhere, anytime, email connectivity. In so doing, fastmail leaves its competitors to dry out in the Australian sun".

Ok, I may have gotten a little carried away with the "anywhere, anytime". Anticipation over this great feature got the best of me.

What do you say, Jeremy?

Jeremy Howard · 3 May 2002, 09:25 AM

I agree that the outcome is important, and would be good publicity. However, I think our planned address synchronization tool would be a better way to achieve this outcome, since LDAP is only useful in this context with the tiny subset of clients that provide read/write and user authentication.

mvpittman · 3 May 2002, 12:08 PM

hmmm... wait for LDAP, wait for synch tool, switch clients based on which comes first?, ACAP?

I'm not sure what to do about this one. I just want to stop having to have my address book in my client.

- Marland

joelpt · 9 Jun 2002, 09:37 PM

In lieu of supporting LDAP and the release of the address book tool - could we get a simple option on the Addresses page which would generate a .CSV file for us to download containing our address book?

There is the option to view the addresses "for download" there presently, but this format really doesn't parse into any email clients readily ... a simple CSV file should be readable by just about any email client worth its salt.

mvpittman · 9 Jun 2002, 09:50 PM

I second that. The web address book is pretty much useless if you use a client.

I mean, there's no good way to get addresses from the web address book into an e-mail client, rather than the "for download" viiew, which doesn't really work well.

I don't care how -- synchronization tool, Authenticated LDAP with read/write access, or just a two way upadate, but I'd really like to keep my address book on fastmail (or anywhere) and then get the addresses in my client or choice for the time...

- Marland

Dutch · 9 Jun 2002, 11:54 PM

Not that I'm thinking of leaving FastMail, but......

are there any IMAP providers, with equal quality, that fully support IMAP (including the address synchronization)?.

matt_heinrichs · 10 Jun 2002, 12:19 AM

And correct me if I'm wrong, since I haven't done a search for such a tool yet, but wouldn't there be existings tools/code that could be leveraged to synchronize address books with an LDAP source?

This would mean that people who had a client that could read LDAP directly would be all set, plus people who have other clients could still synchronize (and hopefully place less of a development/support burden on Fastmail).

3 May 2002, 09:16 AM	#24
Yuyo Essential Contributor Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Planet Earth Posts: 243	Evolution supports LDAP authentication This would be an excellent feature and one more to differentiate Fastmail from the pack. I will even draft the marketing buzz in advance of its implementation to give the motivational push to Jeremy. Here it is: "Fastmail. fm has yet outdone itself once more. Not only does it provide fast access to your email no matter where you are, but now also features anywhere, anytime access to those bits of information that you cannot live without: your contacts. Through a robust implementation of the LDAP protocol, you can now access and edit your contacts on any email client that features LDAP authentication. Fastmail fulfills the promise of anywhere, anytime, email connectivity. In so doing, fastmail leaves its competitors to dry out in the Australian sun". Ok, I may have gotten a little carried away with the "anywhere, anytime". Anticipation over this great feature got the best of me. What do you say, Jeremy?

10 Jun 2002, 12:19 AM	#30
matt_heinrichs Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 15	LDAP synchronization And correct me if I'm wrong, since I haven't done a search for such a tool yet, but wouldn't there be existings tools/code that could be leveraged to synchronize address books with an LDAP source? This would mean that people who had a client that could read LDAP directly would be all set, plus people who have other clients could still synchronize (and hopefully place less of a development/support burden on Fastmail).

15 Mar 2002, 06:04 AM	#16
Jeremy Howard Ultimate Contributor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 11,501	Sorry--"no-one" wasn't quite accurate. I'm not inclined to make LDAP a priority if only one IMAP client supports it... (even if it is the best IMAP client ) Any Moz hackers out there feel like adding LDAP authentication to Mozilla? ...

15 Mar 2002, 06:29 AM	#17
ppetru Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Brasov, Romania Posts: 25	Did you check Outlook? It should support it, given MS's focus on LDAP/Active Directory with win2k...

15 Mar 2002, 06:57 AM	#18
Jeremy Howard Ultimate Contributor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 11,501	Good point. They do have LDAP auth. Although I'd suspect that they use some complex proprietrary schema... I haven't actually checked though.

3 May 2002, 06:59 AM	#19
emsilva Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Brazil Posts: 20	There we go, Jeremy: Client that supports IMAP and LDAP for Linux: Balsa Evolution TradeClient netscape-mail (http://developer.netscape.com/docs/m...tor/ldap45.htm) mozilla (http://www.mozilla.org/mailnews/spec...ook/LDAP4.html) mutt exmh pine* Web based clients: IMP IMHO Windows/(The most part here has their Mac Version) MS Outlook Lotus Notes* Qualcom Eudora Pro MCS Calypso Net Manager Z-mail Messaging Direct ExecMail Green Baloney Mehtix Those with "" are the ones I KNOW supports read/write access to an LDAP server. I don't know about the others. Mozilla DOES* have support to LDAP as well. Hey, please let me know any other information you want to start thinking about implement an LDAP server for us! Regards, Emannuel Silva fastmail.fm - Just do it.

3 May 2002, 07:18 AM	#20
ppetru Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Brasov, Romania Posts: 25	Thanks Emannuel! Maybe Jeremy will more motivated now to implement it

3 May 2002, 08:35 AM	#21
Jeremy Howard Ultimate Contributor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 11,501	I'll only really be motivated to implement it if there is read/write access, AND authentication (not much use if you can edit someone else's addresses)! Thanks for this great list, Emsilva; could you also add in an indicator of which support authentication and show only your personal contacts?

3 May 2002, 08:43 AM	#22
emsilva Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Brazil Posts: 20	More Information: This article talks basically about OpenLDAP. And has information about how to get it, install it, use it, whatever you want to do! http://www.linuxfocus.org/English/Ju...ticle159.shtml If you want a TOOL to import the LDAP information to your preffered e-mail client, you can use the LDAPBrowser (http://www.ldapadministrator.com) for Windows or this one http://www.iit.edu/~gawojar/ldap/ (Java) for any operational system. With both you can export your ldap information to a ".ldif" file that can be imported into most e-mail clients. That's all folks! Regards, Emannuel Silva fastmail.fm - The freshmaker

3 May 2002, 09:25 AM	#25
Jeremy Howard Ultimate Contributor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 11,501	I agree that the outcome is important, and would be good publicity. However, I think our planned address synchronization tool would be a better way to achieve this outcome, since LDAP is only useful in this context with the tiny subset of clients that provide read/write and user authentication.

3 May 2002, 12:08 PM	#26
mvpittman Essential Contributor Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 428	hmmm... wait for LDAP, wait for synch tool, switch clients based on which comes first?, ACAP? I'm not sure what to do about this one. I just want to stop having to have my address book in my client. - Marland

9 Jun 2002, 09:37 PM	#27
joelpt Essential Contributor Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Seattle WA USA Posts: 205	In lieu of supporting LDAP and the release of the address book tool - could we get a simple option on the Addresses page which would generate a .CSV file for us to download containing our address book? There is the option to view the addresses "for download" there presently, but this format really doesn't parse into any email clients readily ... a simple CSV file should be readable by just about any email client worth its salt.

9 Jun 2002, 09:50 PM	#28
mvpittman Essential Contributor Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 428	I second that. The web address book is pretty much useless if you use a client. I mean, there's no good way to get addresses from the web address book into an e-mail client, rather than the "for download" viiew, which doesn't really work well. I don't care how -- synchronization tool, Authenticated LDAP with read/write access, or just a two way upadate, but I'd really like to keep my address book on fastmail (or anywhere) and then get the addresses in my client or choice for the time... - Marland

9 Jun 2002, 11:54 PM	#29
Dutch Junior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 27	Not that I'm thinking of leaving FastMail, but...... are there any IMAP providers, with equal quality, that fully support IMAP (including the address synchronization)?.