Support for the Lemonade IMAP condstore capability (RFC 4551) has been added to tinymail. This is the first support for a Lemonade feature. I added a point of view page on the subject to the tinymail documentation. It outlines the strategy that tinymail developers (as I’m no longer the only one) will take to one day let tinymail become a MUA framework that will outperform existing commercial solutions like the Blackberry E-mail software. That’s, indeed, what I’m aiming at.
From a financial point of view I’m taking things more seriously now. I now understand that there might be commercial interest in the framework. I also understand the simple fact that I could die in a car accident tomorrow, is a major risk for companies interested in adopting tinymail. For this risk reason, I’m building up a network of TnyPartners who can help customers with tinymail consultancy. I’m being at FOSDEM next month, so catch me there if this sounds interesting to you.
Rather than see this as competition, I’m planning to actively help both customers and those partners finding each other. If I would make this a competition-battle between me and them, the risk reason would turn it against the project. I’m aware of that.
My biggest concern is keeping the project a healthy free software one. Ever heard of Peter Principle? I have and I’m aware of my own limits. I’m not (yet) much of a project-leader (but hey, I have started reading books on emotional intelligence. Soon maybe). I think most people by now understand that I’m the engineer type of guy, who passionately and unstoppable enjoys building software.
This is one of the reasons why I haven’t yet done any releases: it would put an extra burden on me and it would awake the crazy “I hate and bash everything”-people. I’m not interested in that. Since tinymail is for software developers, I figured that those guys can checkout from the subversion repository. Some day, however, I will release something. Nevertheless, if somebody wants to be that project leader or release maintainer, call for it.