Arc Roca wrote:
You are correct in that deleting the e-mail does not remove it from the inbox mbox file. What is visible to Icedove is controlled by the corresponding .msf file in the same folder.Exploring my system, I decided to open Inbox with mutt -f, and discovered that no message that I had deleted had really been deleted. They were all there, from the very first, in the same file Inbox. Invisible from icedove interface (probably through tagging), but clearly visible and present from mutt. Freaking!!! I would have expected this in a windows application, but not in one of ours!!! I had implemented icedove in my system to make it easier for other people to use, but I am going back to mutt w/o doubt.
To remove the e-mail permanently you need to Compact the folder. Right click on the folder and select 'Compact this Folder'. There is also an automatic setting (Edit->Preferences->General-> Offline and Diskspace) which automatically compacts these files when it will save a configurable amount of space on the HDD.
HTH Wackojacko