Multiple contact lists are driving me crazy!

September 15, 2004 8:58 AM

If you use IMAP to access your mail from multiple computers, how do you deal with the different contact lists? I have out-of-sync lists everywhere and it's driving me crazy.
posted by smackfu to computers & internet (6 comments total)

If you're using a Mac, consider buying .mac (or using one of the free options).

I might use 5 different computers each day, and they all sync their address books (and Safari bookmarks, etc) automagically with each other.
posted by MiG at 9:06 AM on September 15, 2004

I am moving down this path myself, and am planning to set up an LDAP server (e.g. OpenLDAP) to handle my contacts centrally. Most decent mail clients can access contacts data via LDAP.

Of course, this assumes you're happy with setting up your own LDAP server.
posted by chrismear at 9:06 AM on September 15, 2004

You mostly don't need a contact list anymore. Today's e-mail programs automatically put the address of anyone you correspond with into their autocomplete list. I don't have anyone in my address book at work, I just use the autocomplete in Outlook, or if it's someone I've never corresponded with before, I just click the mailto link on their Web page and then I've corresponded with them. The only reason to put people into your address book these days is so your spam filter won't classify their messages as spam, and with viruses that feast on your address book, that's becoming less reliable all the time.
posted by kindall at 11:29 AM on September 15, 2004

If you're just polling folks for their solutions, mine is straightforward: I use IMAP to reach my mailstore, and keep addresses in my head. Also, the occasional rummage through old mail for addresses I don't remember.
posted by majick at 10:07 PM on September 15, 2004

kindall, I don't have Outlook, what else does it that way?
posted by smackfu at 8:47 AM on September 16, 2004

Thunderbird has an autocomplete list, I think -- not 100% sure. I am shocked there are any that don't, actually.
posted by kindall at 11:39 AM on September 16, 2004