I’ve been working on the front end for the SpamFreeEmail.com service that I have been writing and I think I have come up with an interesting idea for a front end interface.
Instead of making people log into a web based interface, why not give them a minimalIMAP interface. That way they could constantly monitor everything concerning their email from the same mail client.
Three Main folders would be needed; Good, Bad and Neutral, possibly a fourth for viruses. Moving mail from one folder to another would automatically reclassify it to the new designation. Marking any message with a Flag would forward it onto the destination mail server.
This idea is to simplify the users life and let them regain control over their communications. Giving them an easier interface to access their anti-spam system certainly qualifies for this.
Plus I’m already using the Maildir format with the basic flags setup for IMAP, the only thing I would need to do is write the IMAP interface and link it directly to the mail server, and at the speed I’ve been developing code in Erlang, that would be easy.
I’m going to slate this on my to-do list for sometime after my go live launch, but that should still be in the first half of this year.