For the last decade, I have been saving all my email by downloading them via POP3. But when I'm at work, I use MS Outlook 2003 with IMAP to keep up to date. Likewise, when I'm on the go, I use the mail client on my Nokia S60 cellphone's IMAP client.
But here's what's interesting about GMail. Unlike any other mail providers I have used, GMail's way of deleting mail is not easily understandable. When I delete mail on my other mail providers within Outlook, I see a strikethrough on the mail header until I go and purge deleted mail (which will go ahead and delete the mail on the mail server). But with GMail, when I delete mail from within Outlook, it automatically deletes the mail. Or so it seems.
Even when I go to www.google.com/gmail, I don't see my deleted mail in my Inbox. This is all good. That is, until I get home to download all my mail via POP3 (for GMail and other providers). For some reason, the mail that I previously thought were deleted actually ended up being downloaded!!! I've even tried purging deleted mail in Outlook at work before RDP'ing to my home computer to download via POP3, and surely enough, the deleted mail got downloaded into my Inbox.
Can anyone explain why GMail behaves very differently than all other IMAP connectivity when it comes to mail delete? Thanks in advance!
