[TriLUG] Looking for 3 "best of" applications..

[Scott G. Hall]

Folks,
I am trying to decide on the most appropriate software to install
for 3 separate function needs: local email pop3 server, personal
fax send and receive utility, local newsgroups server.

Local Email POP3 server:
------------------------
I am looking for an ubiquitous POP3 server to cough up the local
/var/mail files per user -- the KDE-on-Debian-based distro I am
working with doesn't come with one out of the box.  (Sometimes I
do miss Solaris ...)  What I don't want is a virtual email server,
like those used for dedicated email servers and web-based email
servers.  All of the small-group's logins are on this machine,
and I am using exim (a sendmail replacement) as an MTA, with a
virus scanning plugin.

Here are some I have heard of:

   Courier seems a little large for just a pop3 deamon

   Cyrus seems even bigger and over the top

   Dovecot -- I have tried it and found several problems,
	primarily it won't serve up root's email, and had
	trouble working with Thunderbird and KMail.

   Univ. Wash. ipopd/imapd -- had trouble getting it to work

   GNU-mailutils pop3d  -- don't know much about it

   popa3d -- don't know much about it

   QualComm qpopper -- BSD pop3d based, but other than that...?

   Xmail -- don't know much about it, except that it also supports
	virtual users (which I am *NOT* using)

Personal FAX Send/Receive Utility:
----------------------------------
I am looking for a "WinFAX" like utility with a simple GUI front-
end and on-screen cover page fill-in.  The KDEPrint subsystem
allows easy sending of faxes as just a printer, but I have yet
to get it to work very well.  What I need most though is a deamon
that will answer the phone from the modem and receive faxes.

Here is one I have heard of:

    mgetty -- don't know much about it

Local Newsgroups Server:
------------------------
Yes, I know, old style technology.  But this seems the perfect
answer for this small group's announcements and common-mode messages,
without having to copy the same message to every login.  Plus the
standard email clients make it look like another mailbox.

I just can't remember what software out there to use for a simple
local newsgroup and nntp server.

-------------

I would like your advice and input on these.  Please respond back
to me directly, as well as the list, as I haven't had time to read
the digest much lately.

--
Scott G. Hall
Raleigh, NC, USA
ScottGHall at BellSouth.Net