This page was started specifically to deal with the question of whether installing an email server in Linux was worth the trouble -- as I worked on the page I realized I'd say many of the same things about Linux as a whole, hence the title of this page.

See AboutThesePages.

Contents

Summary

<This section is included on the page EmailServerFinalSummary.>

It was a pain, but it was worth it to me:

• I needed an email server:
  • I run a home LAN and share one Internet connection among the entire family -- a common thing to do
  • I share one email address among the entire family -- an uncommon thing to do
• It's given me a boost in adopting Linux:
  • I spend more time in Linux now that I am no longer tied to Netscape Navigator on Win95
  • I absorbed more Linux as I installed / configured the mail server.
• I want Linux to succeed on the desktop:
  • to provide strong competition for Microsoft
  • so I can customize software to suit my work style / requirements.

Complete Version

<This section is not included on EmailServerFinalSummary and is somewhat expanded compared to the summary.>

It was a pain, some of it surely my own fault:

• expecting to be able to do this with a minimum of reading
• after realizing I needed to read more I did more skimming than reading
• not finding the right resources -- examples:
  • I struggled with the postfix documentation and manpages -- sometime after I finally got the server running, I found the FAQ -- all kinds of helpful info
  • at times I read the unofficial documentation when the official documentation was more helpful, and vice versa (maybe the key is reading multiple "versions" of documentation for a variety of viewpoints??).

It was worth it to me:

• I needed an email server:
  • I run a home LAN and share one Internet connection among the entire family -- a common thing to do
  • further, I share one email address among the entire family -- an uncommon thing to do, and generally not recommended, but I've got it working fine with just a few weaknesses (potential security problems that I hope to fix as I learn more / find time)
• It's given me a boost in adopting Linux:
  • I spend more time in Linux now that I am no longer tied to Netscape Navigator on Win95,
  • I absorbed more about Linux as I installed / configured the mail server. (But far from everything, as I took a great deal of advantage of the preconfigured / preinstalled software in a Mandrake (7.2) installation.)
• I want Linux to succeed on the desktop:
  • to provide strong competition for Microsoft
  • to allow me to customize software to suit my work style / requirements.

Contributors

• () RandyKramer - 01 Oct 2002
• <If you edit this page: add your name here; move this to the next line; and include your comment marker (initials), if you have created one, in parenthesis before your WikiName.>

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