Fetchmail
| Fetchmail | |
|---|---|
| File:Fetchmailconf01.png Screenshot of fetchmail launcher | |
| Original author | Eric S. Raymond |
| Repository |
|
| Engine | |
| Operating system | Unix-like |
| Type | Mail delivery agent |
| License | GNU General Public License |
| Website | www |
Fetchmail is an open-source software utility for POSIX-compliant operating systems which is used to retrieve e-mail from a remote POP3, IMAP, or ODMR mail server to the user's local system. It was developed from the popclient program, written by Carl Harris.[1]
Its chief significance is perhaps that its author, Eric S. Raymond, used it as a model to discuss his theories of open-source software development in a widely read and influential essay on software development methodologies The Cathedral and the Bazaar.
Design
[edit | edit source]By design, Fetchmail's only means of delivering messages is by submitting them to the local MTA/Message transfer agent or invoking a mail delivery agent[2] like procmail, maildrop, or sendmail; delivering directly to mail folders such as maildir is not supported.
It is a C program evolved by gradual mutation from an ancestor already written in C.[3]
Dan Bernstein, getmail creator Charles Cazabon and FreeBSD developer Terry Lambert, have criticized Fetchmail's design,[4] its number of security holes,[5] and that it was prematurely put into "maintenance mode". In 2004, a new team of maintainers took over Fetchmail development,[6] and laid out development plans that broke with design decisions that Eric Raymond had made in earlier versions.[7]
See also
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References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ "...or into an MDA program...", Section G1, The Fetchmail FAQ.
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