Optional "Local Folders"

Many people, like me, don't use the "Local Folders" account for 
anything. At all.

This page: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Local_Folders describes possible 
uses for "Local Folders":

> # If you use an IMAP  e-mail account mail is normally stored "remotely"
> (on the server) rather than being downloaded and stored "locally" (on
> your own computer). Local Folders provides a convenient place to store
> messages locally when desired. You could use offline folders instead
> but that can cause complications and you would need to switch
> Thunderbird to working offline to access those folders. If you enable
> auto-save of drafts its less likely to interfere with your typing if
> you store it in Local Folders.

Although I have a GMail account, I access it via Firefox. I have no 
desire to store anything from that account on my hard drive. As for 
"auto-save of drafts interfering with my typing if I don't store drafts 
in Local Folders", that sounds like an issue the developers might want 
to consider dealing with.

YMMV, but if Local Folders was optional, you'd still be able to turn 
them on and use them.

> # If you configure a POP account to use a Global Inbox the new
> messages are downloaded into a Inbox folder in Local Folders.

I have configured my POP account to download messages into its *own* 
Inbox. I like to keep mail from my various accounts separated. Makes it 
much easier to find what I'm looking for.

YMMV, but if Local Folders was optional, you'd still be able to turn 
them on and use them.

> # When you compose a message and save it to be sent later ("File ->
> Send Later"), it is saved in the Unsent Messages folder in Local
> Folders. That folder is also used in Thunderbird 3 to send a message
> in the background if you set mailnews.sendInBackground true.

IMO this is not the way it should be. When I compose a message and save 
it to be sent later, it should be saved to an Unsent Message folder in 
the account I created the message from OR it could be a specially marked 
message in the "Drafts" folder in that same account.

YMMV, but if Local Folders was optional, you'd still be able to turn 
them on and use them.

> # Sent newsgroups messages are saved in Local Folders by default.

And they should not be by default. They should be saved in the "Sent" 
folder in the account from which they are sent. I always change this 
setting so that this occurs. YMMV, but if Local Folders was optional, 
you'd still be able to turn them on and use them.

> # Some people use Local Folders as a place to archive old messages,
> so that their actively used mail folders are smaller and less
> cluttered.

I have a special "Archives" folder in my main mail account that I use 
for this purpose.

YMMV, but if Local Folders was optional, you'd still be able to turn 
them on and use them.

> # If you reconfigure several profiles to use a common directory for
> Local Folders outside of the profile its much easier for the users
> to share mail messages.

I am the only user on this computer, and many, many people are like me 
(don't allow other people to use their computers).

YMMV, but if Local Folders was optional, you'd still be able to turn 
them on and use them.

In Thunderbird 2, I was able to successfully and surgically remove 
"Local Folders" by editing the prefs.js file. I never missed them at all.

I'd be willing to bet that the same thing can be accomplished in TB3, 
but so far nobody has posted instructions for doing so. And make no 
mistake about it, the instructions for doing it in TB2 absolutely will 
*not* work with TB3. The prefs.js file has changed far too much.

IMO, Local Folders should be optional in Thunderbird. For me, "Local 
Folders" is just an unused, space wasting extra that I don't use and 
never will. I would like to be able to easily get rid of them, and I 
don't mean simply hiding them via yet another no-longer-maintained 
extension.

-- 
John Corliss