From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Oct 27 20:20:47 2009 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3B990106566B for ; Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:20:47 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from frank@shute.org.uk) Received: from atmail-10.bnguk.net (atmail-10.bnguk.net [80.74.253.10]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C4BFA8FC08 for ; Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:20:46 +0000 (UTC) Received: from 54-144.adsl.zetnet.co.uk ([194.247.54.144] helo=orange.esperance-linux.co.uk) by atmail-10.bnguk.net with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1N2sWx-0003tH-Ie; Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:20:35 +0000 Received: by orange.esperance-linux.co.uk (Postfix, from userid 1001) id 3912A4AC1B; Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:20:35 +0000 (GMT) Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:20:35 +0000 From: Frank Shute To: Giorgos Keramidas Message-ID: <20091027202035.GA92828@orange.esperance-linux.co.uk> Mail-Followup-To: Giorgos Keramidas , Gonzalo Nemmi , freebsd-questions@freebsd.org References: <200910271543.39876.gnemmi@gmail.com> <87skd47m54.fsf@kobe.laptop> <200910271647.12382.gnemmi@gmail.com> <878wew7i7p.fsf@kobe.laptop> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <878wew7i7p.fsf@kobe.laptop> User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.2.3i X-Face: *}~{PHnDTzvXPe'wl_-f%!@+r5; VLhb':*DsX%wEOPg\fDrXWQJf|2\,92"DdS%63t*BHDyQ|OWo@Gfjcd72eaN!4%NE{0]p)ihQ1MyFNtWL X-Operating-System: FreeBSD 8.0-RC1 amd64 X-Organisation: 'shute.org.uk' Cc: Gonzalo Nemmi , freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Why is sendmail is part of the system and not a package? X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list Reply-To: Frank Shute List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:20:47 -0000 On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 09:24:58PM +0200, Giorgos Keramidas wrote: > [big snip] > > Until then, the status quo is here because it works, it has been stable > for a very long time, and it serves its current purpose "well enough". > I don't use sendmail but it's easy enough to build a different MTA out of ports (at least Postfix is easy) and turn off sendmail, as others have pointed out. I can imagine that a lot of people do use sendmail - it's documented in the handbook for starters. If it was taken out and replaced with another MTA then there would be complaints that sendmail has been taken out or "replacement MTA" is the "wrong one". If somebody's insane enough to write the patches to replace sendmail (will they be accepted?), then they are also going to have to replace all the hooks for removing the MTA, like sendmail currently has; and they're going to have to document the MTA in the handbook. They'll also need a thick skin to handle all the brickbats that come their way ;) I can think of many ways to more fruitfully spend the time that it would take to remove sendmail from base. Removing it from base would also mean that others have to spend time reconfiguring their system(s): not good. I vote for sendmail, even though I'm a postfix user! I don't like change for no good reason and nobody's supplied a good reason yet. Regards, -- Frank Contact info: http://www.shute.org.uk/misc/contact.html