Re: Debian switchable MTA mechanism

[Kevin Shell <kshell@gmx.com>]

On Tue, Feb 16, 2021 at 06:39:03AM -0500, Dan Ritter wrote:
> 
> You have an unusual use-case. 
> 
yeah, weird use case. 🤓

> > > > Fedora, Centos etc. allow users to install multiple MTAs at the same 
> > > > multiple MTAs at the same time.
> 
[...]
> Don't purge them. Just install each of them in turn. Then the
> command to move to the next one is
> 
> apt install MTA-NAME
> 
Looks like stupid to use this command to switch MTA. 🤓

I think the Debian's /etc/alternatives/ method could be applied to MTAs
or other similar packages.

For example, there's symlink /etc/alternatives/editor => /usr/bin/vim.basic,
                                                         /usr/bin/emacs
                                                         ...

Similarly the Debian packager could add
/etc/alternatives/MTA => /usr/sbin/sendmail.sendmail
                         /usr/sbin/sendmail.postfix
                         /usr/sbin/sendmail.exim
                         ...

> which shouldn't even incur any network traffic, since you have
[...]
> > Is this a difficult task?
> > Isn't Debian already has a /etc/alternatives/ mechanism?
> 
> You may be the first person to ever ask for such a thing. That
> doesn't make it difficult, it just makes it not currently a
> feature.
> 

Yeah, I need a weird setting. 😎
> 
> 

-- 
kevin