On Tue, 15 Aug 2000, Philip Hazel wrote:
> I suppose another way of putting the question is: What kind of reader
> should the book be aimed at?
Amongst the 30+ sugestions I've read is the idea that the book
should be {mainly} for experts. Since they are the people most
willing and able to read the spec, online docs and this list,
and because experts are most likely to use the features that change,
I think the book should instead be aimed at turning the beginner
into an expert.
The spec is a good document, if you have the right sort of mind*,
so the book should be there to get people into Exim, and should
cover the things you need to know to run an MTA.
If you don't want the spec to replace the book for sufficiently
advance users/readers, there could be a place for showing (with
example configs?) how exim can be used to solve different needs,
ie a cookbook.
I know this isn't something exim was designed for, or something
you have a lot of experience with but, judging by the list,
a substantial number of sales will be to people who want, or think
they want, to run an MTA on their home system.
*In my view anyone who can't read the spec shouldn't be allowed to run
an MTA, but I suspect that some of the questions on this list come from
people without that sort of mind, so that is unrealistic.
Dr. Andrew C. Aitchison Computer Officer, DPMMS, Cambridge
A.C.Aitchison@??? http://www.dpmms.cam.ac.uk/~werdna
