
Why Email Clients Need to Change  - madh
http://gigaom.com/2009/04/24/why-email-clients-need-to-change/
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RiderOfGiraffes
My inbox is empty, everything filed into my GTD system. I have scripts that
auto-compile the financial stuff into the right place, and other scripts that
semi-automate (using a Bayesian classifier) stuff that needs an answer now,
stuff that needs to be answered soon, stuff I need to think about, and
archive.

I hate repetition, and have scripted my most common actions. I guess I've
hacked my email system.

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beza1e1
What software do you use? Python scripts and procmail? With what GTD stuff do
you interact? What do you use for archiving (indexing, searching)?

~~~
RiderOfGiraffes
I've hooked a Python Bayesian classifier into procmail and deliver things into
folders. In essence it follows the GTD input process flow and delivers emails
into project, answer required (AR), archive and delete folders. The AR emails
I scan and reply to every day, refiling those that have been misclassified. My
weekly GTD pass checks the other folders, allowing me to reclassify when
they're wrong, and deal with appropriately otherwise.

For archiving I just put it all in either a project specific repository or a
single folder called "other". I can then search for keywords, but I usually
pop out to a command line and grep for things if I need them.

I'm sure there's more available in existing systems, but the Bayesian
classifiers also work as spam filters. I wrote them years ago and they are a
great tool to have to hand.

~~~
mcav
If you have the inclination, I'm sure many people (myself included) would be
interested to see your code, even if it's raw and unsupported. Cool solution.

~~~
RiderOfGiraffes
Hmm. I'll have to think about that. There's a lot I really wouldn't release,
but I'll see what I can do. Too busy just now, but I'll put it on my list.

Thanks for the interest. It never really occured to me that someone would be
interested.

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duskwuff
What the author's real issue appears to be here - which they don't quite
articulate, but which is lurking in there - is really simple. We use email for
two things nowadays: interpersonal communication and event notifications. The
fact that they both end up in our inboxes is more by accident than by design,
and a really good email client should probably separate the two to some
degree.

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vorador
It is simpler to separate the inboxes than to separate the mails.

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duskwuff
It's not just a matter of separating the messages, though. The workflow for a
notification is completely different from the workflow for a personal email
(which is also quite different from the workflow for a mailing-list message).

As far as separating them, though, I suspect it really isn't that hard.
Automated notifications tend to have some pretty distinctive phrases in them,
and I wouldn't be surprised at all if you could get a Bayesian network to do
an adequate job of separating them for you.

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ori_b
I have 29 of inboxes, and I have filters that categorize the mail
automatically. The changes he wants are already here, and have been since the
dawn of email.

The author needs to learn how to use filters.

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est
One of my email accounts if full of activation/verification emails, forum
notifications, auto reply notifications, etc.

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rabidsnail
We need two-way RSS.

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TweedHeads
Gmail has filters. Use them.

"if subject contains analytics apply label alert"

"if subject contains facebook skip the inbox"

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braindead_in
Yeah. The authors best bet is to use filters for now. From the looks of it, he
wants AI. Or an advanced Natural Language Processing. I mean going through the
mails, checking them all to see if they are bills to be paid and then generate
a report. Looks really cool. But too complex with what you can achieve with
technology right now!

~~~
scorpion032
The emails from twitter, facebook and many mailing lists, have a specific
format and some services(posterous) responds to a certain kinds of mails.

Thus, first step toward what Alister says, could be done by defining patterns
and associate gmail filters and searches to it.

AI and NLP could have to be used sometime in the future. But for now import
and export of filters should do quite a bit of it.

Literally each gmail user has to set filters for himself. Rather if it could
be configured via a workflow and associated with user inbox, it would be a
long way for a better email client.

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zackattack
Does anybody wish Gmail had an API? That would be oh-so-sweet.

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ComputerGuru
GMail does have an API and it's called IMAP.

You just need to write a wrapper class to retrieve whatever info you need from
the mail servers over IMAP vs a usual data API.

~~~
zackattack
No, I would like to be able to write extensible plugins for the GMail web
application. Or make modifications; e.g., have my starred messages be stuck to
the top of my inbox. Code advanced filters and have them ping some PHP code of
mine with relevant info. Make a 'dashboard'. A list of undelivered packages.
etc.

