Date: Sat, 28 Apr 2001 06:52:49 -0700 From: "Ted Mittelstaedt" <tedm@toybox.placo.com> To: "Mark Drayton" <mark.drayton@4thwave.co.uk>, <freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: RE: [going OT] Re: Any mail server software that could run on FreeBSD? Message-ID: <011201c0cfea$832aefe0$1401a8c0@tedm.placo.com> In-Reply-To: <20010428111022.A7944@tethys.valhalla.net>
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>-----Original Message----- >From: owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG >[mailto:owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG]On Behalf Of Mark Drayton > > >Ted Mittelstaedt (tedm@toybox.placo.com) wrote: >> Rubbish - has Sendmail been removed from the distribution? >> Last I saw Sendmail was the default, qmail was an optional port. >> I'd say that if you want to construe anything as a recommendation, >> this is pretty overwhelming. > >As has been previously stated: changing the default MTA is *not* a >trivial task. > Ah, getting this question back to the _original_ one that you brought up, you obviously missed the point here. As you seem to be implying here, saying that Sendmail is recommended because it's the default is stupid. I agree that this is as STUPID as picking any other thing and using that to say that Qmail is recommended, short of an actual recommendation written up in the FreeBSD docs. (which if there is one please let us know where it is) The point is that there's NO official recommendation as to what mailer to use, your statement that qmail is recommended is incorrect. >> Qmail is usually advised for those people that don't like reading >> the manual and prefer to just install software and go, without >> knowing anything about what they are installing. This is because >> qmail is _simpler_. Obviously, when you make something >> _less flexible_ you make it _simpler_ thus easier for the >> unwashed masses to digest. > >Is it necessary to understand every intricate detail of an MTA to set >one up properly? I'm more useful to my employer if I can get the >software going first and learn everything there is to know later. > This is like saying you'd be a better doctor if you just did the operation first and learned about how the body worked later. Now, I don't disagree that it's possible to run a small network with few nodes and a very easy-going userbase that's tolerant of downtime with this attitude. But, your not going to see this attitude in any kind of large network that isn't in fire-drill mode 24 hours a day. (and if you think that 24 hour-a-day fire-drill mode is something to strive for in networking, then I really feel sorry for you) Your also not going to see this attitude in any kind of network in which the business loses real money when the network is down. (as opposed to most office networks where a network outage is merely a minor inconvenience to the cubicle drones) In short, this phrase stamps AMATEUR across your forehead. Seriously, professionals really do take the time to understand the details of the tools that they are using. >> There's a reason, after all, that qmail is the default for >> Linux. > >Sorry? Default for what distribution? None of the most popular >distributions use Qmail as their default MTA. RedHat, SuSE and Slackware >all use sendmail and Debian uses Exim. That was a cheap shot, Ted. > Your correct, I was out of line there. I had forgotten that it wasn't the mailer but the local delivery agent that Linux had changed. (Procmail) However, my advice still applies: if your idea of good software is that which you can install without knowing what your doing or how it works, then qmail is probably going to be easier for you to deal with. You seem to be saying that this is a _desirable_ way to do things, so your probably going to view my advice as a recommendation. Ted Mittelstaedt tedm@toybox.placo.com Author of: The FreeBSD Corporate Networker's Guide Book website: http://www.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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