[Users] The Windows port.

[Mark Filipak]

The Windows port appears not to be capable of adding new accounts. Also, it appears that changing mailbox paths is not possible.


Re, "<account-name> - Account preferences" dialog, "Account" > "Basic".

Error: Filling in all text boxes and clicking "Apply" button does not create a new MH named in the "Name of account" text box.


Re, "<account-name> - Account preferences" dialog, "Account" > "Receive"  - "POP3" panel, "Default Inbox" control.

Error: Entering standard Windows path ('c:\shared\Mail\aerotek') is silently rejected when "Apply" button is pressed.

Error: Entering Unix-style path ('/shared/Mail/aerotek') is silently rejected when "Apply" button is pressed.

Click: The "Browse" button opens a "Select folder" dialog.


Re, "Select folder" dialog.

Error: Dialog is launched without making it topmost.

Problem: Folder browsing does not allow browsing parents.

Problem: What appears to be a text box (just above buttons) will not accept keystrokes.

Click: The "New" button opens a "New folder" dialog.


Re, "New folder" dialog.

Error: Dialog is launched without making it topmost.

Error: Entering standard Windows path ('c:\shared\Mail\aerotek') provokes "Error" box that claims "'\' can't be included in folder name."

Error: Entering Unix-style path ('/shared/Mail/aerotek') provokes "Error" box saying, "Can't create the folder '/shared/Mail/aerotek'."


General observation regarding the Windows port:

In my opinion, the Claws Team would profit by acquiring the help of a Windows programmer. The various existing dialogs have obviously been designed to be similar to those in the Linux applicaton, but they don't behave like Windows dialogs and they don't conform to Windows standards. Also, Windows standard dialogs that are fairly quick and easy to implement, such as the Open dialog, are not being used in circumstances where they could be used, so much time and effort is being spent (wasted?) on code that Windows users will find behaves in strange and/or mysterious and/or objectionable ways. If the Claws Team acquires Windows skills, then perhaps they will profit from such knowledge: knowledge developed by what is, by a very wide margin, the largest, richest, and most successful software company in history. Holding Microsoft in contempt may be fashionable in Linux circles, but doing so denies Linux programmers access to a great many elegant, well focus-tested, and user-popular solutio
ns. For example, simple *nix file permissions: [u][g][o]+[r][w][x], pale in comparison to the much richer file- & folder-permission scheme employed in Microsoft Windows.

I've been using Wireshark for many years. During that time its developers have obviously improved their Windows programming skills. The result is that the skills and perspectives gained have benefited both Windows and Linux users.


My problem:

In order to implement my overall architecture I must have a cross-platform email application that runs in both Linux and Microsoft Windows. Claws for Linux is a bit raw, but overall it is quite wonderful. However, the current state of the Windows port makes my adoption of Claws impossible.