This is one of a series of articles that focuses on implementation and integration issues related to incorporating the LEAP protocols in specific PDA environments.
Our starting point for incorporation of LEAP in PDAs is focused on Mobile Messaging and hinges on Efficient Mail Submission and Delivery (EMSD) protocols [5]. EMSD is the email component of LEAP.
The general aspects of how EMSD protocols provide all that is necessary to enable end-users to benefit from true end-to-end open mobile messaging based on patent-free protocols and open source and free software is fully described in ``Operation Whiteberry'' [8]. This article is in the context of Operation Whiteberry and in support of it. Prior to reading this article, the reader is invited to read ``Operation Whiteberry'' so that the general framework for usage are in place.
It is our goal to make LEAP widespread on all PDAs. However, incorporation of LEAP in each platform follows a particular approach and strategy. Each of the articles in this series outlines our strategy for a specific platform
A standard mail application called Inbox is bundled with all Windows CE devices. Microsoft has defined a generic mail transport service provider interface underneath Inbox, which allows alternative mail submission and delivery protocols to be integrated with Inbox. Microsoft has also defined a winsock interface which provides access to UDP[77] and TCP[78] by third party applications. These well defined APIs allow a new mail submission and delivery protocol to be integrated with Inbox in the Windows CE environment.
Our stratgey for integration of EMSD in the WindowsCE environment has been to provide a complete Mail Transport Service provider underneath Inbox. We have done so in such a way that binary distributions of EMSD allow end-users to just plug this package and start participating in Operation Whiteberry.
Additionally, the entire source code for EMSD on WindowsCE package is available subject to GPL and allows for tight integartion with wireless modems and customizations.
The existing open-source implementation is available at
http://www.mailmeanywhere.org.
Palm OS is a capable, general purpose mobile computing platform which, among other applications, comes bundled with a simple email application called Mail. In contrast to the Windows CE Inbox application, however, the standard Palm OS mail application has only a very rudimentary set of features and capabilities. Also in contrast to Windows CE, in the Palm OS a set of well defined APIs for integration of alternative mail protocols does not exist.
To further complicate matters, various third party mail user agents have now become widely available for Palm OS (largely because of the inadequacy of the standard Palm OS mail application), with a variety of different user interfaces. Because of this multiplicity of incompatible Palm OS mail applications, each integration of LEAP with Palm OS therefore needs to be specific to a particular mail user agent.
For these reasons our strategy for integration of the EMSD protocol engine in the Palm OS environment is different from that for WindowsCE.
We start by a very basic example implementation of EMSD for Palm OS. This package is specific to the standard mail application, based on file access.
Based on availability of this package in source form subject to the GNU General Public License, a variety of Palm mail user agents can become EMSD ready very rapidly. To further accomodate this we have selected certain mail user agents which we consider particularly desirable and particpate in integration of EMSD with these mail user agents.