[pkg-fetchmail-maint] Bug#345788: Relies on obsolete LAST command even when it returns 0

[Loïc Minier]

Package: fetchmail
Version: 6.2.5.4-1
Severity: normal

        Hi,

 fetchmail will use the LAST command instead of the UIDL code by
 default because said code is flaky:
    The UIDL code is generally flaky and tends to lose its state on
    errors and line drops (so that old messages are re-seen). If this
    happens to you, switch to IMAP4.

 However, the LAST command is obsolete, a good explanation on the
 obsolence of the LAST command is readable at:
    <http://www.remote.org/jochen/mail/info/pop3-last.html>

 When the LAST command fails, fetchmail will correctly switch to UIDL,
 and fetchmail won't use LAST if fetchmail is forced to use UIDL with
 the "uidl" configuration keyword.

 Also, a return value of zero for LAST forces fetchmail to download all
 messages each time and causes dups and fetchmail does not switch to
 UIDL when LAST returns 0.


 So some bugs in the above behavior which I regrouped under a big
 "UIDL and LAST handling" bug:
 1/ LAST shouldn't be used at all (except in *very* rare cases where
 UIDL are not supported and where LAST is implemented and works
 correctly)
 2/ when LAST is used (which should only happen in very rare cases), a
 return value of 0 should suggest that fetchmail can't rely on that
 value (ie. fetchmail should consider LAST failed)
 3/ IMO, UIDL should be used by default

   Cheers,
PS: this bug is just a reminder, and might be fixed in the latest
    upstream release
-- 
Loïc Minier <lool at dooz.org>
Current Earth status:   NOT DESTROYED