On 07/11/02 at 13:14, LuKreme wrote:
> Global Homes Webmaster wrote:
>
> >That, of course, begs the question of what kind of future does SIMS
> >have, really? With the platform that it runs on effectively
> >dead-ended, it wouldn't seem to make much sense for a commercial
> >software developer like Stalker to continue to develop a free
> >product like SIMS too far beyond where it is currently. Stalker has
> >been extremely generous in giving us SIMS but I don't think we
> >should have any reasonable expectation that development will
> >continue for the product in its present form. On the other hand,
> >insofar as SIMS is an introductory product to Stalker's commercial
> >offerings (the first taste is free... ;-] ), perhaps they would
> >consider a SIMS or SIMS-like program for OS X.
> >
> This has been tossed around on the list several times in the past. I've
> not seen a compelling argument for SIMS OS X yet.
Agreed. I haven't seen, and don't have, a compelling argument for it from a
user's POV.
> Basically, there are at least three very good free mailserver solutions
> for OS X, sendmail, postfix, and exim. Sendmail is a bugbear of
> complexity, but both postfix and exim (well, I have only anecdotal
> evidence with exim) are pretty straight forward. A SIMS user could
> easily convert to one or the other of these, and they offer many
> advantages that SIMS simply isn't designed for.
>
> So, making a GUI mailserver with the SIMS feature set for OS X would be
> pretty silly when it would have far less features that then existing
> sendmail installed by default. If you need a GUI interface in OS X
> there is always webmin. is it SIMS? No, but it's quite usable.
All of this is true. My comment was simply trying to look at it
hypothetically from Stalker's POV (not that I have any real insight there,
just playing the Devil's advocate). SIMS has, in certain respects, been an
introductory product to Stalker's commercial products. The free solutions
you mention may be attractive from the user's perspective for one reason or
another, but they don't do anything to guide users toward CGPro. If Stalker
wants to continue to have a free intro product for low-end users from which
they (the users) will be inclined to upgrade to CGPro when their needs
grow, then a SIMS-like app for OS X might make sense for Stalker.
> And while it is true that OS 9 is a dead-end, there are still LOTS of
> machines out there that can serve as mailservers without having to
> upgrade to OS X (and the hardware that takes).
True again, and I'm certainly not disputing that. Stalker still seems
willing to support the current incarnation of SIMS, which is great. But is
it worth the resources for them to continue to develop (i.e. add features
to) a product that only runs on a dead-ended platform? My guess is probably
not.
--
Christopher Bort | [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Webmaster, Global Homes | [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<http://www.globalhomes.com/>
#############################################################
This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to
the mailing list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>.
To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To switch to the INDEX mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
