Stresstesting IMAP clients (Hackvalue)

IMAP has lots of features, true

but it's not _that_ complex (web UIs are fare more complex, especially once you add AJAX), but it does require a very different mindset from pop clients to do well. the first thing that you have to accept is the idea that mailbox access is not exclusive and dedicated to one system.

once you start thinking that you may be accessing the same mailbox from your laptop, desktop, phone, etc _at the same time_ so that no one app has full control of the mailbox (the other apps may make changes that you are notified of) then you are most of the way there, and the rest of the decisions will probably be pretty good.

there are a couple of clients that work well with IMAP, and a couple of good servers. this isn't that different from other areas

how many good HTTP clients and HTTP servers are there? not that many (and on the client side, you could argue that most of the common ones in use are not among the short list of good ones ;-)