Re: [GSoC] A late proposal: a modern send-email

[惠轶群 <huiyiqun@gmail.com>]

2016-03-28 6:00 GMT+08:00 Eric Wong <normalperson@yhbt.net>:
> Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> wrote:
>> 惠轶群 <huiyiqun@gmail.com> writes:
>> > - Build a simple email client (maybe a web components based web app or
>> > wxwidgets based GUI client, they are both cross-platform) which is
>> > easy to use for sending patch without disrupting the mailbox format.
>>
>> I suspect it would yield a better result if the plan were to update
>> a popular email client and make it possible to tell it to read an
>> existing text file (i.e. mbox) without corrupting its contents.
>> People do not have to learn a new mail client if done that way.
>
> Another bigger problem is people rely heavily on webmail UIs
> nowadays instead of running any local mail clients :<

I know many heavily email user choose to migrate to client such as
alpine or mutt after using gmail for a long time.

> While Gmail provides SMTP access, it was (last I was told)
> incompatible with two-factor auth; so I've encountered users
> unable to send patches with their normal 2FA-enabled accounts.

That's the origin of this idea of `mailto`.

In fact, you could send mail via 2FA-enabled accounts via
"app password" metioned by Javier. But it's annoying to create
"app password" for every client.

If there is a `mailto` method to send patch, you could type something
like

    git send-patch --mailto origin/master..HEAD

Then, gmail is launched with the content of patch in it. You could edit
the list of `to` and `cc`(You could even take use of gmail contact). Then
just send. That's all. No need to SMTP config or "app password" any
more.

> Maybe git hackers at Google have enough pull to lobby Gmail's
> web interface to make it easier to send plain-text patches;
> but I would love more to see users running local mail clients
> and even running their own SMTP servers.

Yes, this should be free with user to pick their favorite mail client.

>> That may not be a "Git" project, but GSoC is not limited to Git ;-)
>
> Completely agreed; email is critical to decentralized development;
> but I don't believe decentralization is in the best interests of
> any large and powerful corporation.
>
> IMHO, what we need is a SoIS: Summer of Independent Sysadmins :>