What is the difference between "IMAP" and "Google IMAP"?

[desertman]

I like to have my various email accounts sorted in a special way and I do this by numbering them. However, Mail disregards this order in the accounts overview of the preferences and puts my Gmail account (which is #5 of 6) on top. The list looks now like this:

05 Google IMAP Account
01 Non-Google IMAP Account
02 Non-Google IMAP Account
03 Non-Google POP Account
04 Non-Google POP Account
06 Non-Google POP Account

The Google account is type "Google IMAP" (in gray below the account name), the other IMAP accounts are type "IMAP", the POP accounts are type "POP".

Why is there a difference between "Google IMAP" and "IMAP"?

Can I set up a Gmail account as "normal" IMAP account instead of "Google IMAP"?

 

[204353]

I honestly don't know for sure, but I'm gonna guess that Google IMAP supports the Archive (instead of delete) feature of the service, but normal IMAP doesn't.

 

[rezwits]

There really isn't a difference to you other than

There really isn't a difference to you other than, your OS Lion/ML recognized the IMAP provider. IMAP is IMAP, except that they (the provider) can configure their IMAP settings however they want.

Think of it as better "handshaking" with your IMAP service.

Right now in System Preferences there is a new Lion/ML Pane, called

Mail, COntacts & Calendars

They are using this to make the Providers Apple decides to work with communicate better.

Late.