GNU bug report logs - #41951
28.0.50; Automatically detect AUTH=ANONYMOUS in Gnus nnimap?

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From: help-debbugs <at> gnu.org (GNU bug Tracking System)
To: Eric Abrahamsen <eric <at> ericabrahamsen.net>
Subject: bug#41951: closed (Re: bug#41951: 28.0.50; Automatically detect
 AUTH=ANONYMOUS in Gnus nnimap?)
Date: Sun, 19 Jul 2020 04:13:03 +0000

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Your bug report

#41951: 28.0.50; Automatically detect AUTH=ANONYMOUS in Gnus nnimap?

which was filed against the emacs package, has been closed.

The explanation is attached below, along with your original report.
If you require more details, please reply to 41951 <at> debbugs.gnu.org.

-- 
41951: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=41951
GNU Bug Tracking System
Contact help-debbugs <at> gnu.org with problems

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From: Eric Abrahamsen <eric <at> ericabrahamsen.net>
To: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
Cc: 41951 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, 41951-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#41951: 28.0.50; Automatically detect AUTH=ANONYMOUS in Gnus
 nnimap?
Date: Sat, 18 Jul 2020 21:12:49 -0700

Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org> writes:

> Eric Abrahamsen <eric <at> ericabrahamsen.net> writes:
>
>> Hmm, but `nnimap-credentials->auth-source-search' will prompt for auth
>> details and save them if none are found, which is the behavior I was
>> trying to avoid to begin with.
>
> We could change that to not prompt if AUTH=ANONYMOUS is available?
>
>> Meh, this probably isn't the right thing to do. The manual specifically
>> says (about `nnimap-authenticator'):
>>
>> "Some IMAP servers allow anonymous logins. In that case, this should be
>>  set to ‘anonymous’. If this variable isn’t set, the normal login
>>  methods will be used."
>>
>> So implicitly short-circuiting the normal login procedure is actually
>> contrary to the documentation, which says do it explicitly. I'm inclined
>> to drop this...
>
> Yeah, it's pretty obscure anyway, isn't it?

Yup. Sorry for the noise.

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From: Eric Abrahamsen <eric <at> ericabrahamsen.net>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: 28.0.50; Automatically detect AUTH=ANONYMOUS in Gnus nnimap?
Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2020 10:41:53 -0700

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IMAP servers that allow anonymous authentication advertise that fact in
their capabilities as AUTH=ANONYMOUS.

nnimap currently lets you take advantage of this explicitly, by setting
(nnimap-authenticator anonymous) in the server definition. But this
requires you to know in advance that the server allows anonymous
authentication, and decide to use it.

Gnus could figure this out itself and anonymously log in, using the
attached patch. It seems to work fine, but there might be further
consequences I haven't thought of. And possibly we'd simply prefer that
settings like this be a little more explicit for the user?

Does anyone have any opinions on this?

[nnimap-anonymous.diff (text/x-patch, attachment)]

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