Synchronization & Storage (Thunderbird 3.0.2)

[ChrisGreaves]

Just curious ...
I have set up 3 auxiliary accounts ⁽¹⁾ in Thunderbird to augment my primary or public account.
I noticed that the incoming emails on the 3 auxiliary accounts were hanging around in MailWasher.
Turns out that's because I hadn't visited "Synchronization & Storage", but to my surprise the tag for "Synchronization & Storage" does not exist on the primary account.

Why would that be?

⁽¹⁾ I wanted to capture mis-directed emails to Chris@, ChrisGreaves@ etc. as well as get regular email as CGreaves@. Also MailChimp wanted me to set up abuse@

Untitled.png

[jonwallace]

I had a quick look at my settings, and the only account that I have "Synchronization & Storage" available for is an IMAP account, the rest are POP accounts. Does this help?

[ChrisGreaves]

I had a quick look at my settings, and the only account that I have "Synchronization & Storage" available for is an IMAP account, the rest are POP accounts. Does this help?

No (Sheepish grin)

I suspect it is some sort of design hiccough in Thunderbird 3.0.2 since for the primary account the equivalent checkbox is found under "Server Settings", there being no "Synchronization & Storage" category.

I have just one mail server for POP mail. I set it up originally with CGreaves@ and added the other 3 accounts to piggy-back on the first.

What is an IMAP account anyway, and how does it differ from a POP account?
As soon as I hear something like that I assume I am way behind the times again, like using IDE drives instead of SATA drives, gray cables instead of cherry-red etc. :not really depressed!:

2.png

[jonwallace]

You could either look here or here or be happy with my scrappy explanation that POP sends you email which you download, and is then deleted from the server (by and large) and IMAP keeps your email on the server so you can access it from anywhere.

[ChrisGreaves]

... be happy with my scrappy explanation that POP sends you email which you download, and is then deleted from the server (by and large) and IMAP keeps your email on the server so you can access it from anywhere.

ALWAYS happy with YOUR scrappy explanations, Jon! (grin)
So Mozilla sort-of supports both. I suspect that it does it by IMAP since Thunderbird must have both options (to delete or not) available to it, and it sounds as if that means IMAP.

Which is odd since Thunderbird asks me for my POP server.

I should probably stop now before I get thoroughly confused.