Sendmail vs postfix

[Lennart Sorensen]

On Wed, Nov 09, 2005 at 10:52:57PM -0500, Robert Brockway wrote:
> Any large site could extract info on the MTAs they communicate with. 
> Smaller sites could do this too but the results would be less accurate.
> I'm not sure if anyone is maintaining Netcraft style figures.
> 
> Sendmail would still have the largest *nix MTA install base as so many 
> commercial unixen offer nothing else.
> 
> Now if you are wanting to talk about which MTA to use...
> 
> Here is my take.  I admin all of the "Big 4" MTAs commercially: Sendmail, 
> Exim, Qmail and Postfix.  In the case of Sendmail I've been doing this for 
> about 10 years.  I used to run Sendmail on my personal boxes but a few 
> years ago 3 remote security exploits in as any weeks was a bit much for 
> me.  I migrated to Postfix.  The company was already using Postfix.
> 
> Postfix (with a default config) is inclined to temp fail mail in a few 
> cases where Sendmail will perm fail mail.  I prefer the Postfix approach.
> In its defence Sendmail security has come a long way in the last few 
> years.
> 
> If you are thinking of which MTA to use and don't have prior experience 
> with any I would recommend them in the following order:
> 
> 1. Postfix
> 2. Exim
> 3. Sendmail
> 4. Qmail
> 
> Others will no doubt have them in a different order :)

I have heard good things about postfix, although I have never used it.
I use exim a lot, but of course it is the default on debian and easy to
make do what I want it to do.
I have used sendmail, and will never choose to use it if I have a
choice.
I refuse to go near qmail due to it making to much work for me to
install and maintain it on debian, and I avoid djb's software on
principle because I think he is too weird.  Perhaps I should consider
avoiding some of RMS's software too for the same reasons (I already
avoid emacs, although gcc would be hard to do without).

I have also used zmailer in the past, which is very very impresive at
doing what it is meant to do, which is handle lots of mail very
efficiently.  vger.kernel.org runs zmailer for good reasons.

Lennart Sorensen
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