RE: smtp crap

[Drew Adams]

> > Chong and Lars, any objections to changing the default value of
> > send-mail-function to mailclient-send-it for MS-Windows only?
> 
> I don't think `mailclient-send-it' is a very satisfactory solution for
> sending email.  It pops up a different mailer,

A "different" mailer?  Different from what?  From Emacs?

How about: it pops up the SAME mailer the USER chose and is used to and
comfortable with.  Are we trying to shove Emacs down people's throats, as a
_mailer_?

> and the user has to take actions there, too, to actually send the mail.

Uh yeah, "take actions": `C-a C-v'.  Big deal.  No one has complained about
that.  And if you want to and can obviate the need to hit `C-a C-v' too, then by
all means, please do.

But please do not try to use that need to paste the composed message (`C-a C-v')
as a reason to keep to this ridiculous, extraneous dialog that is not even
initiated by the user.

> And it doesn't support MIME, so you can't add attachments, and so on.

What is "it"?  What are you talking about?  I add attachments all the time with
the mailer I use on Windows.  And of course it supports MIME.

Please stop worrying about what other mailers support.  And please stop imposing
the solicitation
"are-you-sure-you-don't-want-to-SWITCH-to-Emacs/gnus-NOW-as-your-mailer?" on
users.  This thing is completely misguided.

> mailclient makes Emacs into a second-rate mail client, which seems
> unfortunate as a default.

It doesn't make Emacs into anything.  It simply means _not_ using Emacs as a
mail client.  So what?  Stop trying to push Emacs as a mail client.  Let users
_request_ it if they want it.  _After_ they request it, then you can lead them
down the garden path through whatever contorted dialog you like.

When a user is simply trying to report a bug - to help improve Emacs! - is no
time to interrupt her with an attempt to get her to configure Emacs as her mail
client (even if she already has a mail client).  And in fact _no_ time is
appropriate for doing that.

I really cannot believe this one got past the maintainers and they have remained
silent about it for months.