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List:       kde-core-devel
Subject:    Re: kmail status w/addressbook
From:       Don Sanders <don () sanders ! org>
Date:       2000-05-11 0:22:10
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Off the top of my head this is what most people want in an email client address
book.

GUI
Can enter name and email address EASILY.
Should be able to create email aliases for a list of email addresses.
Should be able to organize email addresses into a hierarchy.
Supports a variety of fields (which and how many depend on the individual user,
some people want customizable fields)
Easy to use and powerful search facility.
Good printing and export (including to html) support.
Can customize which fields are shown.

Backend
Good search API including fast auto-complete email address support.
LDAP support.
Import/Export from Notes,Eudora,  MS Outlook and MS express.


Last time I looked KAB fell short in several areas. I'm not against adding KAB
support to KMail, but I think it should only be one possible option.

Personally I would prefer to spend my time finishing off an address book that
meets more of the above requirements than porting KMail to use KAB.

I don't have a problem with someone porting KMail to use KAB, however they
shouldn't lose functionality that the current address book provides (eg Ctrl-T
autocompletion) and they shouldn't make it more difficult to add support for
new address books. Also they should keep support for the current address book
GUI as (last I looked) it is easier to enter a name and email address than in
KAB, and the backend shouldn't be hardwired to use libkab as it doesn't support
groups (correct me if I'm wrong).

BFN,
Don.

On Thu, 11 May 2000, Mirko Sucker wrote:
> pbrown@redhat.com wrote:
> > 
> > On Tue, 9 May 2000, Don Sanders wrote:
> > 
> > > <Very frank>
> > > It's difficult to enter just an email address, and has no support for groups
> > > or aliases (last I looked). So address book GUI wise KMail will probably go
> > > it's own way.
> > > </Very frank>
> > 
> > Well IMHO this needs to be addressed before KDE 2.0 final.  We can't have
> > an addressbook in kdelibs that no one uses because they feel the API AND
> > the UI are too limiting or whatever.  No insults to Mirko intended, but
> > this is a major issue.
> My statement here:
> 
> I do not want to force anybody to do anything. 
> 
> But...
> 
> I cleaned the addressbook library as much as possible. Every user
> interface stuff has been removed from it. The string class has been
> replaced by QStrings. 
> Adding the library and thus an interface from any application to the
> users local addressbook is a matter of merely 20 lines of code. Just
> have a look at the kabapi_test in kdeutils/kab. 
> -> To look up an email address from anywhere you do not need more. 
> -> To add a "Send to..." menu item in Konqueror, the same.
> Anyone who wants more API should have a closer look - it is possibly to
> use the complete interface through kabapi->addressbook(). kab is written
> only by using the API. Remember what the library is meant for. It is no
> directory server. 
> Anyone who wants another GUI - just write it. The library is the
> INTERFACE to the users LOCAL addressbook. 
> Anyone who wants LDAP - write an interface to LDAP that allows the user
> to use LDAP servers and store some of the entries locally (using
> libkab). 
> Anyone who wants something the library does not support should think
> about: 
> ° is it a matter of the users local personal information or maybe a
> directory server feature?
> ° couldn´t it be added by digging deeper into the code of the library
> than just a few lines? 
> 
> So, if you want to have one addressbook for the desktop, you have to
> find a standard. This is my try. Anybody, make a better one NOW, or USE
> IT!
> 
> And there is no feature needed for a nice interaction of kmail with the
> addressbook that is not there. Some esoteric stuff will always be not
> implemented.
> 
> Greetings,
> --Mirko.
> PS: Adding a simple address of name and email address: 
> ° create an address object
> ° set name
> ° set mail address
> ° add to address book.
> Can it be more simple?
> -- 
> Drei Dinge gibt es, denen alle Menschen gern gemütlich zuschauen:
> ° fliessendes Wasser,
> ° knisterndes Feuer und (am allerliebsten)
> ° anderen Menschen beim Arbeiten. (Charlie Brown).

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