Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2000 22:40:03 -0700 (PDT) From: Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org> To: freebsd-bugs@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: bin/19790: Cannot rebuild sendmail.cf without installing full source dist Message-ID: <200009180540.WAA60146@freefall.freebsd.org>
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The following reply was made to PR bin/19790; it has been noted by GNATS. From: Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org> To: freebsd-gnats-submit@FreeBSD.org Cc: Subject: Re: bin/19790: Cannot rebuild sendmail.cf without installing full source dist Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2000 23:39:21 -0600 This is a followup to my earlier PR #19790. Sheldon H. closed the PR and replied: >The following is taken from the FreeBSD FAQ: > > ( http://www.freebsd.org/FAQ/admin.html#UUCPMAIL ) > > If you didn't install your system with full sources, the sendmail > config stuff has been broken out into a separate source distribution > tarball just for you. Assuming you've got your CD-ROM mounted, do: > > # cd /cdrom/src > # cat scontrib.?? | tar xzf - -C /usr/src contrib/sendmail While it is a worthy cause to support the development of FreeBSD by buying CD-ROMs, ownership of a disc should not be a requirement if one wants to reconfigure the system. Nor should devoting megabytes to a full source install. The majority of FreeBSD users install via the Internet, and many use snapshots (for which CD-ROMs are not available). Therefore, the above answer is not helpful in the majority of cases. Comments on the mailing lists support the notion that it is desirable to make the files required to rebuild sendmail.cf (at least freebsd.mc and the files necessary to process it, if not all of the examples) part of the base distribution because they are so fundamental to configuring the system for proper operation. The fact that sendmail.cf resides in /etc/mail (not /usr/local/etc/mail), and sendmail itself resides in /usr/sbin (not /usr/local/sbin) also suggests that sendmail is properly part of the base system. The ability to reconfigure Sendmail to reject spam, use smrsh and/or Procmail, etc. does not correlate well with the need for complete source code and therefore should not require full sources to have been installed. Nor should it require ownership of a (possibly nonexistent) CD-ROM! Please reconsider making the necessary files (at least freebsd.mc and the files required to process it) part of the base installation to save system administrators from unpleasant and time-consuming surprises. --Brett Glass To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-bugs" in the body of the message
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