On Sat, 31 Jul 1999, Hamish Moffatt wrote: > I don't feel strongly enough about this topic to reply to each of your > points. I agree that some MUAs (specifically pine and netscape) are > operable without a local MTA. I do not see that this warrants any > action ie modification of packages. For most users, an MTA is required.
This actually is the definition of Recommends:, not Depends:. A Depends: is something that IN ALL CASES the lack of will cripple the dependent package, something that we both agree won't happen across the board for all MUAs. > > I would consider a UNIX system incomplete without one. At work > we have UNIX systems as embedded controllers and even those run sendmail. Okay, make it Required--making it a Depends: on a possibly Extra package in that case is ludicrous. BTW you're right--a *nix without a MTA is crippled, I just don't see a MUA without a local MTA as crippled. > I don't see how having an MTA installed unnecessarily adds an > additional point of failure; pine and netscape store their mail in > private directories, so damage to /var/spool/mail would be inconsequential. I didn't say it was an additional point of failure, I said that it was a kludge: interfacing things that really didn't need to be interfaced. It adds an additional point of inelegance, no more, no less. I just happen to prefer elegant solutions: maybe we can have Galt's razor: "Where there are two equally workable solutions to a problem, the more elegant one should be used" :) Now as for the "equally workable" part--you and I disagree whether the two solutions are equally workable: so? That's why it's a dialouge: two monologues would get pretty boring. :) > > Hamish > -- > Hamish Moffatt VK3SB (ex-VK3TYD). > CCs of replies from mailing lists are welcome. > Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity. Who is John Galt? [EMAIL PROTECTED], that's who!