On Tue, Jul 14, 1998 at 04:57:50PM +0300, Tommi Virtanen wrote: > > Of course, this is assuming TJB will even entertain the idea. I'll start > > writing that email today, in either case. I'll probably not send it until I > > see what a couple more people have to say though. > > DJB. And *please* don't write to him - he's known for slow replies, > and this has been discussed _many_ times. Phil Hands, our qmail > maintainer, is working on a distributable qmail-binary, please let > him do it in peace (and keep DJB happy). Yes, that little screwup was pointed out at least twice to me already. => Oops. => The slow replies I'm used to. The message would have been very polite, and I'm pretty sure a qmail binary package under the current license cannot go into main--which is really where a program like qmail should be. Other than the restrictions on binaries for the sake of sanity, security, compatibility, and general paranoia (some of which is IMO well placed) the program IS free software. The source portions of the DFSG are met, the binary distribution portions aren't, but almost are. However I haven't sent the letter yet (in which I DID get the name right, don't ask me WHY I was thinking T) and won't if people think I shouldn't. I just really hate to see Debian ignore a perfectly good piece of software on the small point that the author wants bins to behave in a predictable way. I believe qmail can probably be distributed in a manner which leaves him sleeping better knowing his program does work as designed and also is part of Debian. (non-free is not part of Debian..) Certainly that won't happen if you whine to him that it can't unless he changes license terms. It won't happen unless he can see a good reason to make that license change--it doesn't matter if WE see a good reason, it is his program after all. Still, I believe Debian is a significant enough number of people---enough of whom use the inferior by many stnadards smail because it's the default. I've wondered often why sendmail isn't the default. At least it will work over dialup connections properly. (Really it does, Manoj showed me how he did it..) Anyway, enough ranting. I've said pretty much all I have to say about qmail by now. =>
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