Re: Exim4 and Mutt for beginners?
Tyler <tyler.smith@mail.mcgill.ca> writes:
> I really want to try Mutt. However, I'm more than a little overwhelmed
> by the documentation. I understand that Mutt requires a properly
> configured MTA, and that Exim4 is the recommended, default MTA for
> Debian. However, Exim4 seems like a very big hammer for a very small
> nail -- I just want to send and receive mail via my pop-mail account
> on my laptop. Two questions:
>
> Should I wade into the Exim4 docs and try and figure that out, or is
> there a simpler option for someone with minimal experience with such
> matters?
>
> If Exim4 is indeed the best option, is there a recommended point of
> entry? The Debian Reference is very terse, and assumes a fair bit of
> knowledge that I don't have (I need a little more hand-holding than
> "configure these files to make it work"). The Exim4 Specification is
> very detailed, but aimed at people who already know something. Do I
> really need to sit down and work through a full-length book before I
> even start with Mutt?
>
> Currently I'm using Thunderbird, but I'm finding all the
> point-and-clickies are more distracting than enabling. Thanks for any
> suggestions!
I went through the same trauma several years ago, before I understood
the role which Exim (or its predecessor, SendMail) plays in a typical
desktop system.
The thing which must be understood is that, while Exim is a
comprehensive mail transfer agent (MTA) which is suitable for managing
the mail needs of an Internet service provider (ISP) having hundreds (or
perhaps thousands) of clients, very little of the potential of Exim is
being utilized in the typical desktop environment; but, even so, Exim is
an economical and practical solution for the desktop, considering the
overall complexity of the GNU/Linux system. Rather than having a "Exim
Regular" and an "Exim Lite", there is just one version of Exim, and that
one version serves the needs of any environment.
Your installation of Debian should have configured Exim to the extent
that Exim requires configuration for the desktop environment; the
required configuration is almost trivial. You likely are using the mail
server of your ISP as a "smart host" to handle outgoing mail, and thus
you provided the name of the smart host ("mail.my-isp.net" or
"smtp.my-isp.net") to the configuration dialogue. You likely accepted
the default of the configuration dialogue with regard to messages
addressed to "root". Whether to use a monolithic configuration file or
to configure via multiple configuration files is important only if you
are an ISP and need to customize the configuration; so accept the
default. And that's it; that's all there is to it. Now forget Exim; it
just runs and does it job forevermore, irrespective of the mail user
agent (MUA) which you decide to use.
Mutt is a MUA; as such, Mutt requires the services of a MTA, but Mutt
requires no special configuration of the MTA. (There are some
all-in-one mail packages which do not require the services of a MTA.)
So jump right in to Mutt, and don't worry about Exim4 -- you're fine in
that regard.
If you have not made a commitment to Mutt, and if you happen to use
Emacs or XEmacs, you might wish to consider Gnus -- a news reader which
does a splendid job with mail, treating mail messages as news articles.
Gnus runs under XEmacs, and is considerably easier to configure than is
Mutt. But whether Mutt or Gnus, it is easy to get lost in the
configuration options and in the myriad of keystrokes which do all sort
of things you might not expect.
RLH
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