Quoting Ian C. Sison ([EMAIL PROTECTED]):

> Nice dissection \8), which is more acceptable and believable than simply
> citing 'big' institutions and 'maturity' for chosing sendmail, and make it
> the basis (among others) for choosing it over other MTAs.

Thanks!

> I disagree however with your point that sendmail, and its improvements
> done in response to security or performance reasons, is enough to consider
> it as a viable MTA solution today.

Well, (1) I'm being charitable.  People get too worked up over this.  ;->
(2)  I wouldn't use it, myself:  I'm a Sendmail refugee, having switched
to Exim, years ago.  (I'd be happy with Postfix, I think -- but haven't
personally tried it.)

> Its track record in security and performance reflects design flaws which
> existed from the time it was first deployed, and whatever improvements are
> simply 'band-aid' covering up what essentially is a broken design to begin
> with. 

Well, that's exactly the assumption that I'm honestly not sure is true.
What remains that's indisputably questionable about its design is being
a monolithic binary.  (Exim shares this trait with it.)  At least in
theory, a modular design _should_ be better, at some mild cost in
complexity in the form of inter-module structure.  But there _was_ at
least one major design change:  Having spawned instances drop privilege
according to role.  Ever since then, it hasn't had significant security
problems, and I wouldn't expect them.  If I were an expert in MUA
internals, I could probably comment further, but I'm not, so I won't.

We do have one very major area of agreement:  Neither one of us would
willingly use Sendmail.  ;->

(I forgot to mention that there are still some types of rewrite rulesets
and delivery modes that only Sendmail can do.  For example, UUCP.)

-- 
Cheers,           "I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate
Rick Moen         those who do.  And, for the people who like country music,
[EMAIL PROTECTED]         denigrate means 'put down'."      -- Bob Newhart
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