541243 - Combine IMAP 'cache' and 'offline storage'

Status: RESOLVED INVALID

(MailNews Core :: Networking: IMAP, enhancement)

Description

[Charles]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.7) Gecko/20091221 Firefox/3.5.7
Build Identifier: 3.0.1 final

I don't get the need for a separate 'cache' and 'offline storage'... maybe there's a good reason, but I can't think of one...

Why not just use 'offline storage' for both? That way if you have cached a bunch of stuff (maybe you have a large cache), then switch to offline storage, it doesn't have to download whats in the cache again, its just there...

Reproducible: Always

Comment 1

[rsx11m]

Because they are two different things:
- The cache implements a "most recently accessed" scheme.
- Offline storage can use a "most recently received" scheme.

Meaning, if you restrict synchronization by age, a message or its attachment may not (or no longer) be present in the offline storage, but goes into the cache instead to be available for the next access until it is replaced by a more recently accessed message (it still won't go into the offline storage).

Comment 2

[Charles]

Hmm... ok, but a follow-up...

If all folders are set to full offline mode (which is the new 'default', so the devs shouldn't be surprised if a lot of people end up with their account(s) set this way), which means *everything* is downloaded and stored locally all the time, wouldn't that obviate the need for the cache? Or maybe the cache isn't used in this case?

Comment 3

[Charles]

Apparently no one knows... oh well, now that I know how to disable the cache completely, I can close this one out...