The mailing list for listmasters using Sympa

[Michelle Murrain <address@concealed>]

At 8:41 AM -0700 5/30/03, elijah wrote:
> On Fri, 30 May 2003, Michelle Murrain wrote:
>
> >  To be completely honest, the reason I am using debian's package,
> >  instead of the source package, is because I tried twice and spent
> >  hours and hours installing sympa from source on a debian system, with
> >  no luck, but was able to get sympa going using the debian packages.
>
> My personal feeling is that one should not install the debian sympa
> package. I love debian and would never leave home without it, but sympa is
> too complex and integrates with too many other programs to make for a
> clean package. Also, I would only run 'stable' for a production machine,
> and the stable sympa package is pretty old.
>
> I found installing sympa on debian (stable) pretty easy. Step by step
> notes at:
>
>    http://miso.riseup.net/notes/installation/

Well, I guess everyone has their own preferences on how to run 
debian. For me, since I do a lot of web applications, debian stable 
is just too old. And if I spent all of my time compiling packages 
from source because stable is too old, then why bother using debian 
in the first place? The common wisdom I've seen is that testing for 
production boxes is really OK. that's been my experience, for the 
most part. And the only recent testing nightmare I've had is with 
sympa. (BTW, the patches worked just grand - I'm back up to speed.)

There are plenty of complex packages, although I'll agree, sympa is 
one of the most complex around. But I don't think that means it 
shouldn't be used as a package. I think that working hard on getting 
the debian package to actually work well has a lot of benefits - it 
makes it easier for people to use Sympa, at least those on Debian. I 
know a number of people who have just simply given up on it because 
it was too difficult.
--
.Michelle

--------------------------
Michelle Murrain, Technology Consulting
tech at murrain dot net     http://www.murrain.net
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"I am determined to cultivate only thoughts that increase trust and 
love, to use my hands to perform only deeds that build community, to 
speak only words of harmony and aid." - Thich Nhat Hanh