On Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:09:24 +0000 Russel Winder <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Thu, 2013-01-03 at 14:17 -0500, Andrei Alexandrescu wrote: > […] > > Whoa. Four instances "I run my own SMTP and IMAP server" in about > > as many paragraphs. You must feel quite strongly about that... > > :-) > > Originally I was doing it to make sure I could sys admin > Apache/Postfix/Dovecot (previously Courier IMAP) then I realized it > was so straightforward there was little point in using a hosting > agent. Sounds like you must be very good at Linux. I would never have been able to do it without this guide: http://library.linode.com/email/postfix/dovecot-mysql-debian-6-squeeze I found that to be more contrived, obscure, and needlessly over-complicated than anything else I've ever had to set up on (or off) a computer. The result is worth it, of course, but geez, what a bunch of pointless hoops. No reason I shouldn't have been able to just do something like: $ sudo apt-get install sane-email-server Then maybe answer a few simple questions, and be done with it. > I had a system crash whilst away a couple of years ago and > had to use GMail for a few days. It became apparent that whatever the > terms of service say, Google were scanning all emails and using the > data to create an advertising profile which was clearly then used to > generate income for Google. Clearly this is the quid pro quo for > getting free email, but I don't like the price. Worse I used to have > one identity with Google Accounts, but having created a Google Mail > account, Google switched the primary key to the Google Mail > identifier and will not allow that to be changed. Facebook tried the > same trick. This is really annoying and lowers the value of the > brands for me. Result, I have my server hardware here and run all the > services myself locally. > Yea. Google's "Don't be evil" is a complete load of self-rationalizing bullshit. I mean, christ, their whole business is based on mining/selling personal information, and then they twist and contort the web technologies themselves into whatever they see fit (people bitch when *Microsoft* tries to do it, but when Big Brother does it it's apparently ok), and then they have the audacity to pretend their mantra is "Don't be evil." I hate Microsoft as much as anyone, but I'd sell my soul to MS if it got rid of companies like Google and Apple.
