Why is sendmail is part of the system and not a package?

[Jerry McAllister]

On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 08:45:59PM -0200, Gonzalo Nemmi wrote:

> On Tuesday 27 October 2009 7:31:34 pm Jerry McAllister wrote:
> > On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 05:03:12PM -0200, Gonzalo Nemmi wrote:
> > > On Tuesday 27 October 2009 4:32:45 pm Erik Norgaard wrote:
> > > > Jonathan McKeown wrote:
> > > > > Just as a matter of interest, if you want to rip sendmail out
> > > > > of the base system, which MTA would you like to replace it
> > > > > with? Or are you suggesting the system ship with no way to
> > > > > handle mail?
> > > >
> > > > This thread moving of topic from OP, but it is always fair to
> > > > debate what should be considered a base system. Is an MTA a
> > > > requirement or a remnant from history?
> > >
> > > Dear Erik:
> > >
> > > Contrary to your belief the thread isn't moving of topic from OP,
> > > it's just taking the same default route it has been taking for
> > > ages: 1) telling the OP the OS needs an MTA
> > > 2) telling the OP he can replace the default MTA
> > > 3) telling the OP he can remove given MTA from base
> > > 4) telling the OP about "historical reason"
> > > 5) Not telling the OP why has FreeBSD has left so many historical
> > > reason behind to persuit new goals but retained Sendmail as the
> > > default MTA "for historical reasons".
> > >
> > > Sorry .. but that's the way it goes every time someone asks the
> > > same question.
> >
> > I will add one more that covers it best.
> > Sendmail works just fine and there is no ACTUAL CURRENT reason to
> > get rid of it.    Years ago it had some weaknesses which have been
> > fixed.
> 
> I wonder what would have happened if Sir Isaac Newton followed the same 
> line of though ...
> 
> Or maybe there was an ACTUAL CURRENT reason to develop infinitesimal 
> calculus ... which .. of course, by that time, nobody knew it even 
> existed.
> 
> Or maybe there was an ACTUAL CURRENT reason to discover the law of 
> universal gravitation ... 

Weird.    Try cutting down on caffeine.

> 
> Or maybe .. not ...
> 
> > So, that leaves personal preference as the only real reason
> > for wanting to replace it.
> 
> Let me get this straight .. that means that  every Linux distro, NetBSD, 
> OpenBSD and DragonFlyBSD are all doing it just out of personal 
> preference?

Yup.


> 
> > In that case, if your personal preference is to replace it, go ahead.
> > There are several candidates and an earlier post described well how
> > to do it.
> 
> Yes, that has already been pointed out quite a few times.
> 
> > As for putting it in ports and taking it out of base, well, some
> > message system is often needed before ports are installed.  Sendmail
> > fills the bill.    Some other could also, but since Sendmail works
> > just fine and is already there, then it is.
> 
> Fit the bill ...  well.. so did the Geocentric model .. and it actually 
> did work just as fine .. and even better yet since it also mantained 
> the "status quo" ! ... but then Galileo came and you know the rest of 
> the story ...

Actually it didn't.   It didn't describe observable conditions and events.

////jerry


> 
> > ////jerry
> 
> Best Regards
> Gonzalo Nemmi
> 
> > > > And if an MTA is a requirement then asking which one is the best
> > > > choice is also a fair question. An equally fair answer could be
> > > > whichever change requires the least work.
> > >
> > > Indeed
> > >
> > > > No different than asking, why is NIS still in the base? Why no
> > > > ldap? why BIND, but no http? Why NFS? etc...
> > >
> > > Let me save you the trouble; the answer to mot of that questions
> > > will be: historical reasons and that other solutions can "can only
> > > dream of enjoying a fraction of the respect that BIND and Sendmail
> > > command in the industry"
> > >
> > > Believe it or not ...
> > >
> > > > I think the only void answer is because of tradition, that just
> > > > seems to show that noone really remembers why some choice was
> > > > made.
> > > >
> > > > BR, Erik
> > >
> alo Nemmi
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