I Wrote Spite Mail Because Every Email Program Is Hot Garbage - Rollin' Rambles - Jody Bruchon

Summary

Jody Bruchon argues that modern email clients are bloated and difficult to use because they rely on browser technology to display HTML email and, increasingly, to handle account sign-in. He objects to the security risks and resource use associated with HTML email and remote content. He also criticizes clients such as Thunderbird and Outlook for interface changes, high memory consumption, and poor reliability. These are his assessments, based on his own experience.

He introduces Spite Mail, a minimalist email client he has begun developing “out of spite.” At the time of recording, it consists of a basic window with three panes and minimal menus; it cannot yet retrieve or send email.

Planned Technical Approach and Features

• Implementation: A small application written in C using the native Win32 API, without frameworks such as .NET, Qt, GTK, or Electron. Bruchon says it should also be usable on Linux through Wine.
• Mail protocols and storage: Initially, the client would use standard IMAP and SMTP, with IMAP’s server-synchronized folders. Bruchon also plans to use the mbox mail-storage format.
• HTML rendering: The initial version would display plain-text MIME content. Later, a limited HTML/CSS parser might preserve basic formatting—such as bold, italics, alignment, and perhaps font size—without functioning as a full web browser.
• Images and links: Remote images would not load, and embedded images would be treated as attachments. Links would be displayed visibly, including their destination domain, to make suspicious destinations easier to spot.
• OAuth 2: The client would not support OAuth 2, excluding major providers that require it, including Gmail and Microsoft’s consumer and Office 365 services. Bruchon argues that OAuth 2’s browser-based authorization flow adds complexity and can enable phishing. These are his claims, not independently verified conclusions in the video.

Proposed Authentication Idea

Bruchon proposes a replacement he calls “Jody Auth.” In his outline, a client would authenticate with the account’s main password once and receive a separate, revocable app password. Subsequent logins would use a server challenge and a client identifier to confirm that the request comes from an enrolled client.

The proposal aims to avoid browser-based sign-in while retaining app-specific credentials and adding a challenge-response check. It would require compatible mail servers, making it a long-term idea rather than a feature of the current prototype.

Reviews, Guides, and Tutorials

The video is not a hands-on review or step-by-step tutorial. It is primarily a critique of existing email software and a presentation of the design goals for a planned client.

Main Speaker and Source

• Jody Bruchon — solo presenter discussing his criticisms of email clients and the planned design of Spite Mail.