Sorry for being a pest here... <added_on_second_post> and for forgetting to put pointers to the issues in the previous attempt... the issues on bugs.python.org are: http://bugs.python.org/issue4470 - smtplib SMTP_SSL not working http://bugs.python.org/issue4471 - IMAP4 missing support for starttls http://bugs.python.org/issue4473 - POP3 missing support for starttls </added_on_second_post> still, I'd be grateful if someone could please try and take look at the patches I've posted on bugs.python.org for smtplib, imaplib and poplib, since I think they could be useful for a future 2.x release of the standard library, and I've verified they port almost as they are to python3. They are almost stupid, I know; still, smtp over ssl in the standard library is not working, and the starttls method is declared as being the preferred one since RFC 2595 time... """7. imaps and pop3s ports Separate "imaps" and "pop3s" ports were registered for use with SSL. Use of these ports is discouraged in favor of the STARTTLS or STLS commands. [...] """ Thank you all very much... (once more!), yours, lorenzo +-------------------------+----------------------------------------------+ | Lorenzo M. Catucci | Centro di Calcolo e Documentazione | | catucci@ccd.uniroma2.it | Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata" | | | Via O. Raimondo 18 ** I-00173 ROMA ** ITALY | | Tel. +39 06 7259 2255 | Fax. +39 06 7259 2125 | +-------------------------+----------------------------------------------+