LinuxQuestions.org - Trying to backup my mail.

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Trying to backup my mail.

Kernel 3.2.29, Slackware 14.0

Hi: In /home/semoi/.mozilla/seamonkey/f80e9n50.default/Mail/TCPOP.TELECENTRO.COM.AR/Inbox, I see I have all my mail. The text of the different mails is there in plain ascii. The whole file is ascii text. I want to make a backup of this file. So, first I went to seamonkey, which is the mail program I use, and deleted a lot of mails in which I am not interested, with the hope of reducing the size of the Inbox file. But after deleting, I file size was the same. I put here the exact path as given by ls:

Code:

semoi@server:~/STORE1/Nonsoft/correo$ ls -lh /home/semoi/.mozilla/seamonkey/f80e9n50.default/Mail/TCPOP.TELECENTRO.COM.AR/Inbox

-rw------- 1 semoi semoi 0 2013-03-14 01:42 /home/semoi/.mozilla/seamonkey/f80e9n50.default/Mail/TCPOP.TELECENTRO.COM.AR/Inbox

semoi@server:~/STORE1/Nonsoft/correo$

However, I have just sent myself a message, and I see the file timestamp matches the time I sent it. Even more, with the less command, I could see the new message is there. Then why when I deleted more than half the messages in my inbox, the file size did not drastically change? Not even a bit.

I don't use Seamonkey so this is a guess. Have you checked for a "compact folders" command? It may be that the delete command just flags the messages to be deleted, but doesn't delete them immediately.

Just rename your ~/.mozilla and make a backup of it. As simple as that.

Have you tried to flush the trash ?

I did File>Empty Trash, but still the size is 15MB. The thing is I do not know where it moves the messages when I delete them. Anyway, I'll follow kikinovak's advice.

Did you check gilead's reply? There is a "compact folder" in seamonkey, which means that it will keep deleted mails in the folders, just like thunderbird does.

Sorry if this is nonsense, I'm not using seamonkey. But got (similar) problems with thunderbird if not compacting...

Good luck!