Re: Net::SMTP shortcomings if used as a general mail sending module

Well, as I see it, Net::SMTP is exactly what the name implies: an easy-to use client for the SMTP protocol. Nothing more, nothing less. It's pretty lowlevel stuff, and if I was writing an application requiring robust mail handling, I'd probably go with a module that can guarantee that a mail will eventually reach its destination and won't choke on bad recipient addresses, just as I wouldn't use Assembler to do regular expression handling. On the other hand, if I was writing my own mail transport module it's possible that I'd base it on Net::SMTP. It's just a question of chosing the right tools for the job.

However, Net::SMTP has a (albeit small) edge on the modules you mentioned: it's included in the base distribution, meaning easier script installation for uneducated admins.

Cheers,
--Moodster

Comment on Re: Net::SMTP shortcomings if used as a general mail sending module

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Re: Re: Net::SMTP shortcomings if used as a general mail sending module by kappa (Chaplain) on Jun 02, 2002 at 10:23 UTC
Is it really in the base? I don't see it in 5.6.1 nor in older 5.00503. Update: At least, not in original source tarballs from CPAN. But it is in the base (along with all the libnet) of 5.8.0-RC1.	[reply]
Re: Re: Re: Net::SMTP shortcomings if used as a general mail sending module by moodster (Hermit) on Jun 02, 2002 at 11:44 UTC
Well, both my Win2k ActiveState perl and the perl that's installed on my Debian system has Net::SMTP, and I can't recall having installed it separatly. Of course, the default module list varies between distributions, so it's possible it's been left out in some. Cheers, --Moodster	[reply]