[CLUE-Tech] Sendmail problems: I'm going nuts.

[Jeremiah Stanley]

Matt (and all), I don't mean to start a holy flame war here but I have
to make a request to all Linux users and hobbyists.

> Yes. Get rid of sendmail and install a modern SMTP server like Postfix
> or Exim. 

This seems to me to be more for the CLUE-Opinion list. It doesn't fit on
either the CLUE-Talk list or the CLUE-Tech list because it doesn't
_discuss_ any negatives or positives on a technical basis.

> I only run Exim for myself, so I'm not sure how good it is as a "real"
> mail server, but it is an awful lot easier to configure than sendmail.

Now, this is a good reason to use one over the other. Ease of
configuration is a problem for alot of people starting out with
networking and Linux. But, you didn't tell us why it was easier to setup
for you. Perhaps the default config is more geared towards your usage?

> One of the reasons I switched from RedHat to Debian was that (at that
> time) sendmail was the default SMTP program for RH, and Exim was the
> default for Debian. I was completely fed up with sendmail config
> problems. I've been very satisfied with Exim, and even in the unlikely
> event that I go back to RedHat Linux, I am never, ever going back to
> sendmail, and that's a promise.

Now this is my real beef. I see so many messages on both mailing lists
postulating that A distribution is by far better than distribution B for
X reason plus Y. You have the Debian crowd on one end pontificating the
glory of something that they themselves are just users of. And on the
other side the Mandrake lovers guild concludes that this distro that
they are just users of, is a monumental triumph over evil. This evil
being the whipping boy in the middle, RedHat. The guys in North Carolina
take it in the shorts due to their success in establishing a working
business model.

Many people who have not the technical knowledge to understand the topic
they are postulating upon find in themselves the need to soapbox to
others. An example of this was RH's much maligned choice of compilers in
their 7.0 release. Many of the people who take this blunder as a reason
to slam a company in the past and the present. How many of the people
who soapbox on this issue understand how a compiler works? Or, why that
this mattered to people building software based on RH distribution? Just
because you read it in a newsgroup or on Slashdot doesn't mean that it's
a universal maxim.

Lose the bias, and look objectively. Is the fact that Sendmail is hard
to configure a problem for you or for everyone? I used to have trouble
with configuring it, I posted to the CLUE-Talk list my configuration
related question and all I got back was "you should use
Exim/Postfix/<insert your own MTA here> instead because I think it's
totally cool and RedHat sux". That wasn't very helpful was it? I also
had trouble configuring BIND to do what I wanted it to. I posted that to
the list and found some very good help (thanks to Jim Ockers) that was
both knowing and accurate. There was a difference here, Jim never once
told me his opinion of "why BIND sucks" but, he shared his knowledge of
the subject at hand in a meaningful way. I wanted it to work, I could
care less about your opinion in the matter, it just clouds the issue.

My father used to say: "Opinions are like assholes, everyone's got one
and they all stink."

> The very technically savvy sysadmin at my last workplace like Postfix a
> lot.

Great! I know a guy in NY that has some shares of a certain bridge he'd
like to sell you as well!

And now, my point. If you have something to add or a way to help, please
post it. If you have an opinion and a judgement based on subjectivity
and not on empiricism please refrain. There is a signal to noise ratio
in how helpful this list is, we should strive to give voice to those who
have knowledge of the problem and how to fix it. Positing an alternative
is helpful if you can furnish help with it's configuration.

And now, I get nostalgic. When I first started attending CLUE years ago
there was an air of helpfulness and general mirth. The technical
knowledge possessed by the group was awesome. In the last few weeks most
of what I've heard is just posturing over inconsequential details. It
leaves a bad taste in my mouth when I notice the trend moving away from
helpfulness to volunteer distribution advertising.

If I wanted half cocked opinions I can read slashdot.

Thanks,
Jeremiah Stanley