Re: How much disk space use Mac Mail when connects...

alenguav · 10-08-2022 09:18 AM

I am working with a prospect to migrate to Google Workspace,
however his computer hard disk (of 500GB) is almost full, so he is asking
me if migrating his email to the cloud would be a solution to free some disk space.

He is using MacOS Mail client so I understand that some kind of IMAP connection will be required

cryptochrome

It all depends on how his mail client is configured. IMAP stores everything on the server and keeps it there and only downloads what is currently required (e.g. being read). However, most email clients can be configured to download entire folders locally for faster access and search capabilities. Some allow to configure a "cache life time", e.g. how long downloaded emails should be kept local before they get deleted again.

You have a lot of wiggle room there to experiment. However, I would advise your client to skip the Apple Mail client entirely and use Gmail on the web. It's a fantastic user experience, works from anywhere and from any device, and gives you all the features that make Gmail special. They are losing out on a lot of "magic sauce" if they use a local mail client instead of the web experience.

Tom_Sch

This is a bold statement and I would say it is not true. Gmail on iPad is the worst experience and even on the web it is not that good. I like native apps more than any web service.

@cryptochrome wrote:
It's a fantastic user experience, works from anywhere and from any device, and gives you all the features that make Gmail special.

@alenguav If you or your client is looking for a good Mail alternative you should give Mimestream (https://mimestream.com/) a try. Looks a lot like Mail and has all the Gmail stuff and it is a native Mac app.

I am using Mimestream, Drive for Desktop and I just have a 512GB SSD which is almost empty. So moving to the cloud is a good choice. If everything is in the cloud migrating or replacing the Mac is easy. Just install the OS and the apps and all the data is there right away and there is no downtime, since he can access the data on any computer or device.

alenguav

I didn´t know of Mimestream.

Do you know if there is a similar product for Windows?

cryptochrome

@Tom_Sch wrote:
This is a bold statement and I would say it is not true. Gmail on iPad is the worst experience and even on the web it is not that good. I like native apps more than any web service.

I wasn't talking about the Gmail App on iPad. I was talking about Gmail on the Web. Precisely zero boldness in my statement. If you use any third-party apps, like Apple Mail, you will lose out on many of the features that make Gmail what it is. You also lose some of the security features, where Gmail warns you inline about phishing links, for example.

Most "native" third-party app rely on a protocol that was created in 1984 and hasn't evolved, since (IMAP). There are some notable exceptions that use the Gmail API instead of IMAP. Like Mimestream and Shortwave.

Tom_Sch

Well that might be true, but a service should work good on all devices. And that is the reason I wrote this. I would like to see more commitment from Google towards a great experience no matter what you are using.

I am well aware that you get all the features only on the web not in any 3rd party app, but a lot of people don't like working in a web browser.

Isn't Fastmail offering a more modern version of IMAP?

zalim

Hello sir I hope you already healthy I need some typing job for help in to grow your bussiness.

cryptochrome

@Tom_Sch wrote:
Well that might be true, but a service should work good on all devices. And that is the reason I wrote this. I would like to see more commitment from Google towards a great experience no matter what you are using.

Just because you, personally, don't like the Gmail app on iPad doesn't mean it's not a great experience. I find the native mobile Gmail apps of Google pretty good, solid, and more importantly: feature-rich (in terms of Gmail features).

I am well aware that you get all the features only on the web not in any 3rd party app, but a lot of people don't like working in a web browser.

True. And stubborn 😄 😄 Seriously though, the software world has moved to a SaaS model, and nearly everything is in the browser these days and a lot of it with no "native" options. People who refuse to work in the browser severely limit their options.

That being said, the web has evolved so much that well made web apps have become really really good. Gmail is one of many examples.

Isn't Fastmail offering a more modern version of IMAP?

Possible, I don't know. If they do, it will only work on their own servers and clients, though, as it will be something proprietary.

How much disk space use Mac Mail when connects to Google Workspace?