Yes, MIME::Lite can use Net::SMTP. It can also pipe to sendmail. The point is that using MIME::Lite makes the mechanics of SMTP irrelevant, whereas you must understand those mechanics to use Net::SMTP directly. That makes them very different. The difference is akin to that between using mutt to read and write your mail, and using telnet to ports 110 and 25 and just talking POP and SMTP yourself like a Real Programmer would.

To answer your meditation - if you want to figure out which of those modules to use you *must* have some understanding of what you're trying to do, and what the modules do. The best way to do that is to consult something more knowledgeable than yourself. That something is generally the modules' documentation.

The answer you're probably not looking for to the question of "how on earth do I even find out which modules I should consider to do task FOO" is "ask other people".

In reply to Re^3: How does one choose among modules? by DrHyde
in thread How does one choose among modules? by mr_mischief

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