Re: [Exim] criticism/comment about missing info in install d…

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Author: Chris Seberino
Date:  
To: Nigel Metheringham
CC: exim-users
Subject: Re: [Exim] criticism/comment about missing info in install docs
Nigel,

I can certainly understand your concern with ignorant
mail managers but your are wrong on this one.

I work on an isolated Linux LAN and someone asked me
if I could fix it so they could send email between boxen.
I'm not interested in joining the "mail managing community".
I just wanted to throw something together to get some real
work done (apart from Internet).
How would a hard config process which you seem to advocate
help people like me?

In all fairness, you are right in that I would
never dream of putting together
a real mail server visible on the Internet without
reading the entire exim manual _at least_. The security
issues alone would demand this.

However, even if exim was only aimed at "serious" users
and work environments, is it really wise to enforce
RTFM by intentionally making things difficult?

Would you also make street signs confusing and a car
harder to handle so that you could force people
to pay more attention when they drive?

If someone is too dumb to RTFM or drive carefully
that is their problem and we shouldn't try to
"solve" this with confusion.

I was just bored and had a few moments so I thought
I would throw in my $0.02 worth for fun.
Don't take it too seriously. :)

Sincerely,

Chris

On Thu, Aug 02, 2001 at 02:51:19PM +0100, Nigel Metheringham wrote:
> On 01 Aug 2001 22:28:33 -0700, Chris Seberino wrote:
> > Please
> > don't tell me to RTFM. A newbie like me should not have to read
> > 300+ pages to install a program!!!!!
>
> Mail handling is a complex process. Certain companies attempt to give
> you a point-and-drool interface to mail configuration and so we have a
> whole bunch of compacently blindly ignorant mail "managers" who wouldn't
> know an RFC if it hit them in the face. This is not a good state of
> affairs. Frankly installing and managing a mail system requires some
> knowledge, and stating that you shouldn't need to have this knowledge
> pretty much states that you should not be joining the mail managing
> community.
>
>     Nigel.

>
>


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