gnus, thunderbird and imap

[Tyler Smith]

Hi,

I'm thinking of trying (once again) to use gnus for my mail reading.
I currently use Thunderbird to read my mail via IMAP. I'd like to
continue using Thunderbird while I get gnus configured. The directions
provided here 

http://sachachua.com/notebook/wickedcool/wc-emacs-05-gnus.html

Indicate that I need to set up a local IMAP server to get gnus working.
What I'm wondering is if it's possible to point gnus at the IMAP
directory in .thunderbird instead? Alternatively, is it possible to set
up an IMAP server and reconfigure both thunderbird and gnus to read from
the local server? I want to keep all my mail on the remote server as
well, synced up automatically to what I do locally (i.e., deleting or
moving messages on Thunderbird causes the same action to take place on
the remote server.)

I know these sorts of gnus questions come up a lot, but frankly I find
the manuals overwhelming. What I need to know is where to start: do I
begin with setting up my local IMAP server, or can I skip that and use
the system already established by Thunderbird?

Thanks,

Tyler