On Sat, Aug 18, 2001 at 08:36:05PM -0300, Cesar Eduardo Barros wrote: > Package: debian-policy > Version: 3.5.6.0 > Severity: wishlist > > Debian uses the traditional mailbox style by default. However, it has some > disadvantages over maildir -- one of them is that it does a non-reversible > modification to the message's text if it contains the sequence 'From ' at the > beginning of a line. MUAs like mutt also save the user's mail folders in the > same problematic format.
well, FWIW, one of the first actions I do on newly installed debian systems is to change mail delivery to maildirs > > My proposal is to: > > 1. Use the maildir format by default for storage of the user's incoming mail. > This means both the MTA must be configured for maildir by default (e.g. in > eximconfig) and all the MUAs must be able to grok it without needing any > manual configuration elm (so far still very popular) does not work with maildirs. > 2. Use the maildir format to store the user folders by default if the user's > MUA allows it > > The issues are: > - Debian is about choice. So, of course mailbox vs maildir will end up being a > configuration question. Just make maildir the default, please. does not matter much when it is a configuration question :-) > - Standards for where to put the user's incoming mail/where in $HOME to put > the > folders. I believe most programs which use maildir already share common > places, but putting them in policy would be good. > - Making programs which can't use it yet be able to use it > - Somehow making programs able to guess which is the mbox/mdir choice of the > day (perhaps using debconf). environmental variable MAIL > - Dealing with indecise people who change the default while the system is live > that's the biggest problem. Changing the setup on live system is not trivial to automatize. I would just go for exim postinst configuration question, and if somebody wants to switch his system over, he can do it manually -- ----------------------------------------------------------- | Radovan Garabik http://melkor.dnp.fmph.uniba.sk/~garabik/ | | __..--^^^--..__ garabik @ melkor.dnp.fmph.uniba.sk | ----------------------------------------------------------- Antivirus alert: file .signature infected by signature virus. Hi! I'm a signature virus! Copy me into your signature file to help me spread!
