(mmhhh... a bit off topic, but anyway, here we go)
Hello,
This topic surfaces from time to time on this list. I have given it some
thought, and put together a prototype of what features such a tool should
support. I have borrowed some wording from Maiman, as well as some "design"
ideas.
Some underlying code does already exist (perl).
However, before going any further down that road, I'd like to collect some
ideas, recommendations from people more experienced than myself (I'm
really a newbie in this area of web interfacing). Like:
- is perl ok for this, or should it better be done using php?
- the layout could be vastly improved, some good ideas around?
The prototype is raw, no functionality is provided at this stage. As
a result, some buttons don't react as they should (mainly feedback of
actions to the end-user).
The goal is a tool that is as MTA independant as possible. Really the
only thing the MTA should be able to do is to stat a file.
Some random thoughts:
o authentication configurable (more secure/less secure). more secure ->
password encryption is a one-way process, thus the user cannot have
it e-mailed to himself; less secure -> password encryption is a
reversable process, thus the user can have the password mailed to him.
o authentication lookup configurable. the string required for login
acces is not necessarily a known unix user. we need some mechanism
to lookup the username
- fully qualified e-mail address
- /etc/passwd
match the first entry
- file with single entry
each line contains a single string
- aliases style file
each line contains a key and value(s), like
victoria: vicky, vic
each one is valid (the key as well as the values)
o is it necessary to provide 'how-to' and 'faq' links from each
page? more generally, is the strategy of leaving open as many
choices as possible on each page note leading to confusion?
would a more streamlined interface be better?
o did I hear the word 'configuration file'?
Anyway, if you are willing to share your thoughts about this, now
is the time. I don't know how much effort I'll be able to put into
this in the near future, as other tasks will require my attention.
Ooops, I almost forgot the URL:
http://www.switch.ch/misc/stern/vac-mail/
Regards,
Bernard Stern, SWITCH
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