Gmail Backup

[Daniel Wayne Armstrong]

Hi all ... I have started to investigate different tools for creating
a full backup of a Gmail account.

Requirements include the ability to run in the console and be setup as
a cron job on my home server. Also I want to synch in only *one*
direction - Gmail->LocalFolder - (I don't want to misconfigure
something and end up corrupting or wiping out my Gmail archive). This
is strictly a backup that is stored locally and can be browsed in
read-only mode. I plan to keep using the Gmail web interface.

I configured my Gmail account for IMAP access and tried getmail -
http://pyropus.ca/software/getmail/configuration.html - and after
running it for the first time appears to do what I want with one
exception: after all messages are downloaded to my local server they
are all marked in my Gmail account as having been read. This is what
the program's developer intended and has no plans to change -
http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.mail.getmail.user/4081 ... Considering
the way I handle my mail this is not a big deal to me but it would be
a dealbreaker for a few other people I would help backup their own
Gmail accounts.

OfflineIMAP is another consideration ... but by default it appears to
sync folders in both directions. Maybe that can be changed.

I am curious ... Do other list members backup their Gmail accounts and
what tools do you like to use?

Thanks
Daniel
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