Re: [PATCH RFC3.5 02/12] send-email: No longer repeatedly test if $smtp_server is a command

On Sun, Apr 19, 2009 at 20:41, Junio C Hamano [off-list ref] wrote:

Michael Witten [off-list ref] writes:

quoted

This is a minor change, but it's cleaner, and it sets up the
$smtp_server initialization code for future improvements.
...
-if (!defined $smtp_server) {
+if (defined $smtp_server) {
+
+     $smtp_server_is_a_command = ($smtp_server =~ m{^/});
+
+} else { # use a default:
+
      foreach (qw( /usr/sbin/sendmail /usr/lib/sendmail )) {
              if (-x $_) {
                      $smtp_server = $_;
+                     $smtp_server_is_a_command = 1;
                      last;
              }
      }
-     $smtp_server ||= 'localhost'; # could be 127.0.0.1, too... *shrug*
+
+     $smtp_server = 'localhost'; # 127.0.0.1 is not compatible with IPv6
+             unless $smtp_server_is_a_command;

Nobody suggests to use 127.0.0.1 anymore with this change, so why not just
get rid of that comment?

Fine with me.

Also the new statement looks wrong.

 (1) you have ';' after assignment before the statement modifier "unless";
    I do not think you meant it.  I generally *dis*like statement
    modifiers, but if you use it, at least please use it correctly.

How embarassing. That's actually been fixed on my end since I sent
that patch; for some reason, I forget to send the update; sorry for
wasting your time.

 (2) earlier, when $smtp_server is defined (say, the name of your smtp
    host) but is not a command, we did not set smtp_server to
    'localhost', but kept the value given by the user.  Now you seem to
    kill the user's wish with this change.

I think you misread the code (with the exception of the error on my
part). The code could be read:

	if $smtp_server is already defined {
		determine whether it is a command;
	} else {
		find a suitable default for it;
	}

I think a genuine improvement would be something like:

       if (!defined $smtp_server) {
               $smtp_server = 'localhost';
       }

You don't care to search for a possible sendmail?