Mail Rules

[Charles Martin]

> From: cricket <cricket at apple.com>
>
> No, but the more rules you have, the potentially slower that fetching
> and routing new messages will be.

Cricket! I was just thinking of you the other day and wondering when 
I'd see your name again.

Would you mind settling an issue that has come up frequently on the Mac 
lists I'm subscribed to (and in my MUG) regarding Mail?

The issue is that when Mail (for whatever reason) doesn't get a quick, 
correct connection to the ISP's mail server (we notice this A LOT 
trying to connect to .Mac and less so with other ISPs), it goes offline 
and asks the user to re-input the password. As a big fan of Mail, I 
must admit that I'm disappointed this problem hasn't been addressed yet 
(after many revisions), so I'm wondering:

1. Since I don't see this issue with other email clients, what is it in 
Mail that's causing this problem? Timing issue? .Mac problem that's 
nothing really to do with Mail? Full-blown bug?

2. Do you know if they have plans to fix this soon? It's really 
annoying.

3. Can you put in a word to the team that the current method for 
showing offline or "can't connect" status is REALLY REALLY hard to 
see?? A tiny speck of a gray icon next to the inbox -- half the time I 
can't be sure it's there, and I'm a fairly young man with good eyesight 
-- I can only imagine how much frustration this must cause seniors! 
Putting the status symbol in an orange circle -- like the "snapback" 
favicon -- would work MUCH better.

4. If they can't address the connection issue, can they at least fix 
the false "asking for the password" problem? This annoys people much 
more than the connection issue since they think they have to re-enter 
their password over and over and over.

Sorry to bitch, but it's your own fault for showing your face around 
here! :)

Cheers,
_Chas_

"If you want to encourage your kids to color outside the lines, think 
creatively and zig when the other kids zag, get the Mac. On the other 
hand, if you want to teach your kid that life is full of frustration 
and that anything worth getting takes plenty of patience and hard work, 
a Windows machine should do quite nicely."
-- D. Plotnikoff