Re: default MTA for sarge

[Steve Greenland <steveg@moregruel.net>]

On 13-Jul-03, 07:48 (CDT), Andreas Metzler <ametzler@downhill.at.eu.org> wrote: 
> Hello,
> If you installed exim4 and used frontend=noninteractive or just press
> <Enter> on every debconf-question you should end up exactly with this:
> local delivery only.

But that's several more questions that many users, especially new
desktop users, won't understand and don't need to see: they're going
to use Mozilla mail or Evolution with a POP server and remote SMTP
submissions, just like they did with Windows.

> OTOH if you upgraded from an exim with broken
> config you /might/ end up with an exim4 inheriting the broken config,
> as it tries to "parse" exim.conf to preanswer the debconf-questions.

So they go from broken->broken. I don't see the loss. In particular,
I don't see the point of making people go through several debconf
questions on the upgrade if they still will have a broken system, which
I *think* you may be implying by the above.

Which doesn't mean that you can really help this, by the way. I
understand that the attempt to preserve existing configuration (which is
the most important thing here!) probably can't detect and correct all
the different ways one can screw up an MTA configuration. Such is life.

So if I get a vote, I'd strongly urge the 'local-delivery-only' default
on new installs, without going through the exim configuration, but just
a note pointing the admin at dpkg-reconfigure if they want something
different.

Steve

-- 
Steve Greenland
    The irony is that Bill Gates claims to be making a stable operating
    system and Linus Torvalds claims to be trying to take over the
    world.       -- seen on the net