Bug#295391: exim4 configuration generator is on drugs

[Ian Jackson]

Marc Haber writes ("Re: Bug#295391: exim4 configuration generator is on drugs"):
> What is your suggestion to handle these files, which are used to build
> /etc/exim4/exim4.conf.template at package build time and might be used
> on the target system to re-generate the template on user's request,
> instead?

I suggest that most of the the complexity in templating system be
thrown away.


> >    and when I say
> >       echo | exim iwj
> >    it does this
> 
> it should give a "command not found", as the binary is exim4, and is
> not in a normal user's path.

I didn't cut-and-paste that, I'm afraid, so I must have said `exim4'.
Exim 3 was never installed on this machine.

> > 2005-02-15 15:11:31 1D14MM-0007S9-DJ <= iwj@ncipher.com U=iwj P=local S=261
> > 2005-02-15 15:11:31 1D14MM-0007S9-DJ == iwj@ncipher.com R=hub_user defer (-17): error in redirect data: domain missing or malformed in "iwj@"
> 
> What does exim -d -bt iwj say? On my reference box, iwj gets qualified
> to iwj@ncipher.com and later an "Unrouteable address".

I have now deinstalled exim and replaced it with smail, so I'm afraid
I can't say.

> Well, Tony is not known for his high opinion about the Debian exim 4
> packages. I have, however, not received a single word of constructive
> criticism from him ever, and I doubt that he ever took a closer look
> at Debian policy or at the Debian exim4 packages.

Are you going to claim that I'm ignorant of Debian policy or of mail
configuration ?  I _am_ currently largely ignorant of the Debian exim4
packages, but what I've seen does not impress me.

> Rest assured that the current debconf configuration scheme has been
> pretty extensively thought out, and we offer numerous ways to turn all
> the magic off and replace the magic with a more old-fashioned
> approach. We are, however, open to constructive criticism.

I think throwing it away would be constructive.

> I am happily awaiting your patches. If you're just going to curse
> about our work without having suggestions how to do things better,
> kindly jump into the next lake.

I would be happy to update the old smailconfig script to make it
generate exim configs (and use debconf for its questions) if I thought
that my patch to throw away the template system would be accepted.

Ian.