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Posted to users@spamassassin.apache.org by Marc Perkel <ma...@perkel.com> on 2006/12/27 08:56:48 UTC

Looking for Qmail Experts to help build an independent release of qmail [ot]

OK - this is off topic so I'm not going to discuss this on this list. 
I'm looking for a few qmail experts to do a new release of qmail with 
patches applied and distributed with patches as a fixed version.

I'm looking for people who want to put this together to reply to me 
privately, not on this list. Qmail is seriously broken and the fixes are 
out there to make it work correctly. Specifically qmail does not follow 
the standards in retrying higher numbered MX records when failing to 
deliver to lower numbered MX records. This is the problem that I intend 
to fix. But while I'm at it I thought I'd incorporate other fixes as 
well. If people are going to continue to use qmail then it should run 
correctly without being a stumbling block in the email world. Qmail is 
incompatible with the standards.

I am aware the DJB believes that he can control the distribution of 
qmail and impose restrictions requiring that it not be distributed in 
patched form. I have made an analysis of his position and I find it 
invalid and inconsistent with other positions he has publically stated 
with regards to software. I therefore am going to challenge his position 
by publishing a revised and fixed version on my personal site on my 
personal servers. If he is legally right then he can sue me and take all 
my money. If I'm right qmail gets fixed and everyone wins, including DJB.


I have emailed him a number of times and got no reply. So I'm just going 
to go ahead and just do it anyway. It will be interesting to see if he 
can stop me. In fact I double dog dare him to try.

But - as I said, I'm not going to argue it here in this forum. I ask 
other NOT to reply to the list because it is off topic. I am looking for 
qmail experts to suggest which patches are best and should be included. 
I will take the heat. Ultimately I personally will apply the patches and 
publish the patch version. So - for all of you who have been frustrated 
with the "license restrictions" on qmail, today is your liberation day.

I personally don't like qmail. I think it might have been great in it's 
day but its day was a decade ago. Now it is in a state of death by slow 
rot. However, it still has a cult following. This list is running it and 
it is MX broken. I'm going to fix it an publish the fixes so that qmail 
can rejoin the RFC compliant community.

So - who want's in? And - if any of you are friends with DJB, feel free 
to let him know what I'm going to do.

Marc Perkel

(Thanks in advance for not replying on list)