Re: [exim] Oh boy, am I in trouble ...

Suresh Ramasubramanian wrote:
> The problem, of course, is that debian is subtly different from the
> rest of the linuxes in several weird and wonderful ways.

Thats not a problem, thats a feature. :o)

> Antique versions of libraries,

Depends on which version of debian you use. I'm having much more
problems with outdated Slackware boxes, as they practically can not be
upgraded without reinstalling.

> a packaging system that, while quite stable and hassle free, doesn't
> really play well with hand compiled binaries

_No_ packaging system plays well with files that have been installed "by
hand".

> (making your own debian packages would be an alternative),

Thats the way.

> and configuration files with completely different / non default names
> and in completely different directories, so that they play nice with
> debconf ..

Thats something you have to get used to, yes. But whats "default" at
all? AFAIR these defaults changed all the time anyways.

> Debian users coming in here asking about problems with outdated exim
> versions

Wrong package.

> and nonstandard configuration mechanisms

Its the users choice to use debconf or write configuration files
him/herself.

> And a lot of them seem to think something just doesnt exist if it
> isnt available as a debian package,

Well, actually it _does_ not (really).

> and appear to be quite scared of compiling their own code.

It' just not neccessary. If there is no precompiled package, there's
always an packaged alternative. (Except for mplayer, of course.)

> Nonstandard config - like for example insisting that exim starts from
> inetd,

Huh? I'm using exim on debian, and it does not insist to start from
inetd. (Actually, it didn't even suggest to do that.)

> or talking about a config file split into several tiny files
> scattered all over a directory .. if I wanted that, I'd go install
> qmail.

Again it's the users choice to use a single file, or split them into
little ones. The latter is used for easier upgrade if people use debconf.

> Last but not the least (though not here) there's the perpetual gnu
> advocacy and license warring that a whole lot of debian users keep
> engaging in ..

Well, there's "non-free" on the APT servers.

> claiming that debian is the one true OS

Debian is not an OS. (SCNR)

> and perpetually parroting the "GNU/Linux" and "Linux is the kernel,
> GNU/Linux is the OS" catchphrases ..

It will get even better when (sorry, *if*) GNU/Hurd gets out some time.

> but at least for newbies, it is a distro that gives them little or no
> independence in configuration, or inclination to experiment / learn
> anything beyond apt-get and eximconfig.

True, true. But debian is not aimed at newbies, and I don't know any
Linux beginners that use it. Most people here start with SuSE, or Mandrake.

> This is getting way OT for exim-users so I'll stop here.

Ah, true, but I could not resist either.


lg,
daniel