Re: [exim] Re: Debian exim

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Author: Steve Lamb
Date:  
To: exim-users
Subject: Re: [exim] Re: Debian exim
Marc Haber wrote:
> UNIX philosophy is "one job, one tool". Most utilities that can send
> mail for one-or-the-other reason depend on some
> /usr/(lib|sbin)/sendmail where they can dump their messages to,
> relying on it to actually deliver them. I'd call that an MTA.


    Yes, so it has been said.  So let me reiterate, since when did that trump
robustness and error handling?  That, too, is another tennant of UNIX philosophy.


> That way, probably messages get lost.


    Yup, in other words, fail to handle the error.  Nice.


>>Package: at
>>Depends: libc6 (>= 2.2.4-4), mail-transport-agent


> Feel free to bug the at maintainer to lower the requirement.


    Why would I want to?


> It doesn't fully since it does not offer rewriting capabilities which
> a lot of end-user installations need, and its command line interface
> isn't LSB compliant.


    I don't see either of those as a requirement in the majority of cases.


> Unfortunately, smart-host for a desktop needs rewriting capabilities.


    Since when?


> popcon isn't part of the default install, so one misses the majority
> of installations.


    One can make a good case that popcon installs would be a good representation.


> it doesn't. nullmailer is appropriate for systems where end system and
> smarthost are under the same control so that the smarthost can be
> configured to cater for nullmailers inadequacies. However, on a ISP
> smarthost setup, a fully featured MTA is needed on the end system.


    Since when?  I see absolutely no need for it at all.


>>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. :)


> I do not understand that last sentence.


    Parse it.  The issue at hand is that the Debianization of Exim's config
file is a barrier for people moving from Debian's Exim install to the larger
Exim community.  By hitting the 80% mark with a smart-host only mailer it
means one can drop that requirement from Exim's configuration goals.  Those
who want exim would still be able to get it with the nominal cost of having to
manually run one of:
apt-get install exim4-daemon-light


aptitude install exim4-daemon-light

apt-get install exim4-daemon-heavy

aptitude install exim4-daemon-heavy

    As opposed to exim being installed for them.


-- 
         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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