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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!nntp.coast.net!news-res.gsl.net!news.gsl.net!hunter.premier.net!news1.erols.com!newsmaster@erols.com From: Ken Bigelow <kbigelow@www.play-hookey.com> Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc Subject: Re: Setting up a Mailserver Date: Sat, 20 Jul 1996 18:47:20 -0700 Organization: Erols Internet Services Lines: 58 Message-ID: <31F18C28.711C@www.play-hookey.com> References: <4savcs$3ke@nuacht.iol.ie> <4sblib$c7k@uriah.heep.sax.de> NNTP-Posting-Host: kenjb05.play-hookey.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 2.02 (Win16; I) J Wunsch wrote: > > tintori@iol.ie (Piero Tintori) wrote: > > (mail, SLIP, PPP, etc.) > > > What software would be the best to use considering that my budget is > > small. Somebody mentioned that I should install a Unix clone such as > > Linux or FreeBSD. Does anybody have experience of using these? > > Personally I would like to use a dos/windows based system. > > Well, then you're definately asking in the wrong group. :) > > I think most people here would never use something like DOS or Windows > for such a purpose. But we are obviously biased, in that we already > know how to setup and use a unix system. It will in any case suffice > your needs, but if you don't have the slightest clue about unix (and > are not really willing to learn it), you will believe it were hard to > administer. (We are convinced that this is not the case, but you will > first not understand why we are...) > > On the plus side, you'll get a lot more of stability with either of > the systems you've mentioned, coupled with true multitasking -- some- > thing you would never get out of DOS or Windows (<= 3.11). That > means, you don't have to fully dedicate your machine for the server, > instead, you can log into it as well as all the other users. > Actually, all parties are nearly equal to the operating system, with > about the only exception that you are able to restrict administrator > logins (called `root' here) to the system's virtual consoles, so even > people who accidentally know the administrator password won't be able > to get in via the modems or network (without using at least one other > non-privileged account). > Just to stick my two cents in, since my whole job is in the education business... Even if you go the FreeBSD route, those calling for e-mail or other uses need not use Un*x in any form -- Windows 3.1 with a TCP/IP stack (eg., Trumpet Winsock) and a freeware mail program such as Eudora Lite will do fine. In addition, you can get FreeBSD, a mail server (qpop or others), Web server (Apache), news server (nntpd or INN) and a bunch of other stuff for the price of downloading them off the Internet. Since you mentioned a small budget, this may enhance the choice. Finally, if you choose to go this route, I'll bet you learn a whole lot more, and more easily, than if you go the DOS/Windows route. In any case, the ball is in your court -- it's your play. -- Ken Are you interested in | byte-sized education | http://www.play-hookey.com over the Internet? |