Re: Linuxconf

[Jules Bean <jmlb2@hermes.cam.ac.uk>]

On Wed, 3 Jun 1998, Craig Sanders wrote:

> On Tue, 2 Jun 1998, Jules Bean wrote:
> 
> > > The solution of course is to extend the m4 stuff to support all the
> > > things linuxconf does, but that's not so easy.  Also, note that
> > > slackware didn't at last look have m4 sendmailconfig.  Another
> > > example of where slackware is doing more harm than good these days
> > > by not adopting things the rest of the world has... =p
> >
> > This sounds foolish to me.
> >
> > The solution is to switch to a better designed mailer (exim springs to
> > mind) with easier to manage configuration.
> 
> yes, that's a perfect solution.....for those who choose to use exim.  it
> does absolutely nothing at all for those who prefer to use sendmail.
> 

True.  But I was answering the suggestion (chopped, unfortunately, which
was foolish of me) that a user-friendly front-end to sendmail would solve
one of Linux's (and Debian's in particular) PR problems.   I was simply
pointing out that if simple mail configuration *in particular* is a goal,
then sendmail may not be the best MTA.  I certainly would support efforts
for a sendmail.cf configuration utility.

> 
> BTW, the fact that you don't understand sendmail doesn't prevent others
> from doing so. sendmail really isn't that difficult, and is simpler in
> some ways because you don't have multiple config files scattered across
> multiple directories.
> 

Thanks for the advice.  Actually, I understand sendmail very well indeed,
and it is on the basis of that understanding that I suggest exim is an
improvement.

My expertise, I confess, is limited to the use of an MTA as a delivery
agent for an organisation catering for a very large number of domains, and
I have no experience with setting up an MTA in a single-user, dynamic IP
situation (although my instincts suggest that sendmail is not entirely
appropriate in this case either).  

> sendmail.mc and the sendmailconfig script are mind-bogglingly simple to
> use, and will get a working configuration for 99% of cases in a minute
> or two.

As far as I am aware, the 'out-of-the-box' exim configuration works.  It
did for me.  I didn't have to configure it at all initially - I have now
done so, to support some other domains, and I'm impressed by the clear and
simple design.

Jules

/----------------+-------------------------------+---------------------\
|  Jelibean aka  | jules@jellybean.co.uk         |  6 Evelyn Rd	       |
|  Jules aka     |                               |  Richmond, Surrey   |
|  Julian Bean   | jmlb2@hermes.cam.ac.uk        |  TW9 2TF *UK*       |
+----------------+-------------------------------+---------------------+
|  War doesn't demonstrate who's right... just who's left.             |
|  When privacy is outlawed... only the outlaws have privacy.          |
\----------------------------------------------------------------------/


--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-devel-request@lists.debian.org
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@lists.debian.org