Adam Funk wrote:
> On Saturday 24 September 2005 21:45, Steve Lamb wrote:
>> Quite frankly desktop machines shouldn't have SMTP servers on
>>them at all.
> That depends on your definition of desktop.
I'd be interested in any definition of a desktop where an SMTP server
would be a requirement and not a "nice thing to have" in lieu of some
alternative for bad behaving utilities that can't manage the failure of the
SMTP server be it local or remote.
> Cron and at require a working MTA on the local machine (I think
> nullmailer is probably sufficient).
Never understood why that is the case. What do they do when the local MTA
is unavailable? Be that as it may how Debian works it:
Package: cron
Depends: libc6 (>= 2.3.2.ds1-4), libpam0g (>= 0.76), debianutils (>= 1.7), adduser
Recommends: exim4 | postfix | mail-transport-agent
Package: at
Depends: libc6 (>= 2.2.4-4), mail-transport-agent
Package: nullmailer
Replaces: mail-transport-agent
Provides: mail-transport-agent
cron doesn't require mail-transport-agent but does recommend it. At
requires it. nullmailer fulfills that role. So in theory Debian could move
away from Exim to nullmailer as a default install if the theory is that the
default install is "smart-host for a desktop" and anything more complex would
be specificly installed by the admin building the box.
Hoestly, and speaking as a Debian user who welcomed the change to Exim as
the default mailer, that is a change I could live with and I think Debian
should seriously consider. Looking at popularity contest stats...
705 exim4-base 2615 2430 81 104 0 (Exim4
Maintainers)
714 postfix 2600 2462 89 48 1 (Lamont Jones)
There's a whole 9 places difference between Exim4 installs, which is by
default, and people who rip Exim4 out in favor of Postfix. If moving to
nullmailer means it keeps the low-end functionality intact and makes it easier
for those who choose Exim on Debian to interact with the larger Exim community
at the nominal expense of having to do a quick [apt-get|aptitude] install
exim4-daemon[-light|-heavy] I'd say it's worth consideration. :)
--
Steve C. Lamb | I'm your priest, I'm your shrink, I'm your
PGP Key: 8B6E99C5 | main connection to the switchboard of souls.
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