My thoughts

Hi,

I just subscribed to this mailing list, and still have
to read through the archive so far. I've recently written
several drafts around e-mail, i.e. RMX and MTP, which 
was already mentioned by Yakov (thanks Yakov).


My requirements for future e-mail systems would be

- general asynchronous data transfer

- different authentication classes such as

   - fully authenticated messages
   - fully authenticated and legally binding
   - pseudonymous
   - anonymous


- Better support for mobile applications and transports over
  low bandwidth connections such as GPRS mobiles (e.g. some 
  support to download only "small" parts of the message and 
  leave big attachments on the server.

- Related: Semi-push mails - send only a preview of the message 
  and leave the main part of the message, especially if large or
  expensive for any other reason, at the sender's site until
  fetched by the recipient.

- Selective transfer, e.g. mail comes with 10 pictures, but only
  the body and thumbnails are transfered. When attachments are 
  selected, they are pulled. Might make use of HTTP/HTTPS


- Better support for active contents, i.e. have the mail 
  a complete web space, like a directory tree which can be 
  viewed with a plain html browser and allows user to move around
  by following references. 


- Finally good standards for exchange of office information like 
  address, calendar entry


- Maybe replace SMTP, NNTP and mailing lists with a new protocol
  (including functionality of uucp)


- Better support for storage, archiving, sorting into folders, etc. 
  (includes guaranty of certain properties of the MessageID) 

- Development of new protocols, basically the Inter-Domain-Protocols
  (what SMTP is today) and the intra-Domain (=server-to-client)
  protocols, similar to what pop and imap are today. Especially 
  symmetric transports, (bidirectional imap/pop)


- Support for personal networks, i.e. give mails from known people
  a higher priority


- Advanced security mechanisms (important: support non-cryptographical 
  mechanisms), e.g. e-mail cookies


regards
Hadmut