What is the Default MTA in Ubuntu?

[Adam Conrad]

Jeremiah Foster wrote:
> 
> Could someone please clarify this for me or point me to a relevant URL?
> Google has produced some results generally supporting my understanding
> of postfix/exim in Ubuntu but I would like something a bit more
> authoritative.
> 
> - Is there a rationale for using postfix and not exim?
> - Is postfix going to remain the default MTA?

There isn't, technically, a "default MTA" in Ubuntu anymore, because we
don't install one by default at all.

This only tells half the story, however, as we do tend to replace "exim4
| mail-transport-agent" dependencies with "postfix |
mail-transport-agent" dependencies, so if you install a package that
depends on an MTA, it will probably pull in postfix for you.

The rationale, really, is simple:  We like postfix.  Not all of us love
it to death, in fact I'm an exim user, but the majority of us seem to
prefer postfix, so it's the one you're likely to get if you didn't ask
for a specific one.

It's worth noting again, however, that we don't install any MTA by
default anymore, so if you install exim4, that will satisfy those
mail-transport-agent dependencies just fine, and you'll never see
postfix anywhere near your system.

... Adam