Re: email options and --force with dpkg

[cjw44@flatline.org.uk (Colin Watson)]

joney@clara.co.uk wrote:
>Following helpful replies from Kent(ktb) and Steve Gran to a 
>request under the subject of 'email options', I've been looking 
>further into the possibilities.  
>
>I want to try qmail which I've found and built. It will not install
>as it conflicts with ssmtp - seems I can have only one MTA.
>Dselect will not uninstall ssmtp as the MUA's 'will feel lonely'.
>So presumably I will have to either temporarily remove the MUA's
>and replace ssmtp with qmail ( I haven't tried that, but, even if it
>works, I don't like the idea as I want to try other MTA's until I
>find one I understand and like) or force dpkg to uninstall ssmtp.
>
>Both the man page and dpkg --help are unclear to me, and I don't
>want to risk damage. Could someone help with the precise syntax to
>force remove and purge ( ssmtp in this case ).  

(1) Make a dummy qmail package with equivs, and have it provide
    mail-transport-agent;

(2) dpkg --install qmail.deb

(3) Watch dpkg automatically remove ssmtp in favour of qmail.

Cheers,

-- 
Colin Watson                                     [cjw44@flatline.org.uk]