Multiple users accessing one mailbox?

Hi,

I'm using a postfix server on my network, with my client users using Thunderbird. What i want is one mailbox (orders@mydomain.com) that everyone can have access to. I can't set up a thunderbird profile that multiple users can have access to because of the permissions required, it doesn't support it. So my idea was to set up a linux user on the server called orders, which has its own postfix mailbox. Then the users can all download messages from this mailbox into their respective thunderbird profiles and they can all have two inboxes, their own and the orders one.

I thought this would work but if one person downloads messages from the postfix orders mailbox, they become unavailable for the other users, even if the 'leave messages on server' option is ticked in thunderbird. So I'm thinking that the mail in the orders mailbox somehow becomes flagged that it has been downloaded and therefore doesn't allow itself to be downloaded again. Does this sound right or am i completely on the wrong track with this? If I am right, how can i fix it please?

thanks for reading
:p

what if you just had the orders account setup to forward to the other accounts you specify. then everyone will receive it in their own mailbox and there will be no issue of lock files. virtual_alias' I think?

thats a great idea thanks!

I think i'll do that. Of course that means it will take up more diskspace on the server because of all the duplications of the same email but that just means i'll have to make sure people archive old emails regularly, which is good practice anyway

cheers :p