Mike Davidson, who is the CEO of Newsvine and half the brains behind the sIFR web typography project, has written a useful guide to getting Gmail to work with an IMAP account.

You cannot access a Gmail account directly over IMAP as you can with POP, but you can—as Mike describes—set your Gmail account up to auto-forward mail into a dedicated IMAP account.

As a result, he says:

Since Gmail’s auto-forwarding feature leaves headers for the most part intact, I can now receive fully synched, fully intact copies of all my Gmail messages to any computer I happen to be on.

The best of both worlds.IMAP, gmail, auto-forwarding, email, POP, apple mail, mail.app

Postfix Enabler is a graphic front-end to built-in services in Mac OS X that helps you to set up your computer to be its own mail server, that is to run its own SMTP, POP3 and IMAP services, with or without SSL support.

It also provides SSL test certs so that you can test the SSL connection. Going the other way, it offers an option to turn on SMTP-AUTH on the server, so that you can authorise remote users who need to send mail through it.

Plus, mobile users can use it to set up a roving SMTP server so that they can send mail wherever they are, whenever they want, so long as they have an Internet connection.

Version 1.2 has just been released which packages the app as a universal binary.

PostFix Enabler costs USD 9.99 and is available from the developer’s website .mail server, postfix, SMTP, IMAP, ssl, pop, universal binary

Mail Forward is an app that will forward your email from AOL, Gmail, Hotmail, MSN, Yahoo! or from any POP account to Apple Mail, where you can read in greater style and comfort (see an earlier Hawk Wings post for screenshots and so forth).

An updated version released today changes the Yahoo! server login sequence for improved reliability and offers preliminary support for Hotmail/MSN Windows Live Mail beta accounts.

Mail Forward is shareware (USD 19.95) and is available from the developer’s web site .AOL, gmail, hotmail, MSN, yahoo, POP, mail.app, apple mail, Windows Live Mail, plugin

An anonymous poster on macOSXHints offers a convoluted tip on how to make your .Mac IMAP account more POP-like.

I can’t conceive why one would want to do this, except perhaps to create a more secure environment for MailTags metadata.

But if you do want POP access for your .Mac account, then just follow the Apple technote which describes how to change .Mac Mail from IMAP to POP..mac, dotmac, IMAP, POP, account settings, tip, mail.app, apple mail

Esme Otter writes:

…I set up my gmail accounts (personal, academic, blog) to POP to Apple Mail. It is very civilised to compose on a quiet Mac interface with no flashing spiders inviting me to reduce my mortgage rates nor cellulite-cream advertising emblazoned with bikini-clad marble bottoms inducing unconscious or conscious self-appraisal. It feels so grown up.

I wish I’d done this years ago. My whole head feels calmer.

Too many bikini-clad marble bottoms in your life? Get your Gmail messages in Mail.app.