jimimaseye wrote: ↑2023-10-09 12:50
I have to say I am on the side of thinking it should be named differently.
HMailserver is specifically a package of source code:
Is an SMTP mailserver
written for and running on Windows
provide a GUI Admin interface
Provides ComAPI connectivity
allows VBS scripting for tailoring.
Yes, but (as you know) it does even more like POP3/IMAP and Relaying, Transport layer Security SSL/TLS (via OpenSSL)
and ASIO which means it bundles and handles many many connections to the Server extremely well.
jimimaseye wrote:
The 'unix portable version being provided here (unless Im worng - feel free to connect these statements):
Not at all
Portable (in this specific case) means that hMailServer's existing code will be modified in a way so it is more C/C++ Standard compliant, so it can be build and run on
more then just Windows
How?
Standard compliant C/C++ code can be build and run on more then just Windows Systems.
But in order to do so, hMailServer's code must be cleaned up so it doesn't invoke Windows specific features (for example like COM/DCOM or
for example the Windows Registry) which simply doesn't exists on other Platforms.
jimimaseye wrote:
is an SMTP mailserver
Doesnt run on Windows
Deosnt give a GUI admin interface
No.
This will be the same. But the new hMailAdmin program will run on more then just Windows but it will pretty much look the
same as the hMailAdmin program you know for years.
But this is true:
Doesnt provides ComAPI connectivity
Doesnt allow VBS scripting for tailoring.
Instead of a ComAPI we will have a TCP/IP TLSv1.3 secured Remote API which can be accessed by VBScript.
The only thing which will
not work anymore is
internal VB/JS Scripting. VBScript depends on the Microsoft COM/DCOM-System
and cannot work without it. So it needs to be replaced by a another Internal scripting language which is easy to learn, small and compact.
I think LUA fit's the bill perfectly. It's tiny, well documented and battle proven for internal scripting tasks and is well supported now and
in the future. VBScript on the other hand is very old and outdated and has no active development for years anymore.
However: If you wish you can further use VBScript via the new TCP/IP TLSv1.3 secured Remote API and it works like this:
Calling hMail X via VBScript
Code: Select all
Dim obj
Set obj = CreateObject("hmailxcomLib.clientapi")
obj.sayhello
Set obj = Nothing
This function call return a a List of Domains via the TCP/IP TLSv1.3 secured Remote protocol of hMailServer X portable (this already works) as you can see. This hMailServer X portable version has no COM/DCOM code anymore it it and as you can see, it works good without it.
- hmailxcom_vbs.png (32.66 KiB) Viewed 20020 times
Here is a bunch of examples how other Scripting/Programming languages like PHP or Python or Perl can query a hMailServer X portable Remote instance via TCP/IP.
New TCP/IP Remote API TLSv1.3 Scripting examples:
https://github.com/hMailServer-X/hmsx/t ... n/Examples
That just leaves its similarity as being an SMTP server (albeit on the similar code base) but then all other SMTP servers are also 'just SMTP servers'. And therefore this makes it "an SMTP mail server (that runs on other platforms)" with no obvious similarity to Hmailserver.
No.
The main advantage of hMailServer that it is compact intuitive.
It's true, there are powerful SMTP and POP3/IMAP Server Solution on Linux/Unix/MacOS like Postfix/Exim/Sendmail which are not available for Windows. But other then hMailServer they are far away from intuitive or easy to setup (you have a bunch of complex config files you have to
modify to make Postfix or Exim work - there is no easy built-in GUI Admin tool like hMailServer's hMailAdmin GUI).
In the end we will have hMailServer running on all important platforms, using the same code base.
The danger, when Matt says "it just confuses the shit out of anyone trying to use it, and then those of us trying to (unknowingly) support it." is that someone may well try to install and use it and then refer to THIS forum for help. And when we ask them "are you using "Hmailserver?" they answer "yes". At which point we fumble around until we relaise we cant help becuase:
Idk if people should seek help in the Developer's section of the forum.
However. As you know, hMailServer's official Development has halted. If we want new stuff we have to integrate it our self's.
Make it run on Linux was a frequent Feature request over the last years or having a Secure TCP/IP based Remote admin protocol or
having a simplified SSL-Certificate generation or Letsencrypt integration or a Per-domain SMTP host name etc. This can be done way
better if we use modern tools and more recent C/C++ Language standards in hMailServers code base.
My goal is to develop hMailServer to the next level, not splitting it or creating a new product or project.
The code will be OpenSource and open to everyone and hopefully attracts more active Developers from the Linux Open Source side.
bc. most Open Source Developers are at home on Linux.
). There it's just a few lines to integrate Powershell