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List:       exim-users
Subject:    Re: [exim] book recommendation?
From:       Phil Pennock <exim-users () spodhuis ! org>
Date:       2011-12-31 11:11:19
Message-ID: 20111231111119.GA56504 () redoubt ! spodhuis ! org
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On 2011-12-23 at 15:18 +0000, Always Learning wrote:
> I could neither find the answers I wanted in the book nor any
> explanation about the logic and design of the syntax language.
> Retrospectively it appears others added to it.

The language is string expansion, with some operators and conditional.

> I recommend the current documentation instead of the 2007 book. There is
> a lot of reading,  no technical summary of the concept, logic and
> structure, but there is a lot in the current documentation that is
> missed, in my opinion, from the book.

The two should supplement each other.  The book is a tutorial and guide,
the online docs are a reference.

> For the adventurous and wealthy, your best bet is a trip to the USA and
> a week long stay with Phil - afterwards you will know an awful lot about
> Exim :-)

For clarity: there are two Phil's involved with Exim.  Phil Hazel wrote
it, has now retired from his job at the University of Cambridge, keeps
an eye on things from a distance but mostly enjoys his well-earned
retirement.  He knows all of Exim exceedingly well.  As far as I know,
he's still in Blighty.

I'm Phil Pennock, I'm one of the maintainers; I'm British, but living in
the USA.  I have a full-time job where in 2012Q1 we'll be migrating
things to Exim, and where my employer (Twitter) is generous enough to
let me spend focused work time on Exim when there's a major
security-driven release; but I do not have a lot of spare time.  Life at
a start-up.  So a week with me would involve playing with cats and
talking to my wife and my occasionally blinking and remembering there's
someone visiting.  It would not be a productive use of your time.

Unless you really like playing with cats.

I am not an authority on every corner of Exim; I forget details, or
occasionally learn something new.  I am capable of using the "less"
text-viewer on the "spec.txt" which ships with Exim and finding my way
around things quickly.

I recommend the Exim4 book (not the Exim3 book) for an introduction and
guide, and looking at:
  http://www.exim.org/exim-html-current/doc/html/spec_html/index.html
which is a prettier form of "spec.txt" and pay very close attention to
chapter 3.

Happy new year!
-- 
https://twitter.com/syscomet

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