Comment by zamadatix
12 hours ago
I never used Qmail, so I won't comment on it, but I will say I absolutely consider djbdns narrow in scope as well (before accounting the Unix approach, utilized perhaps even more than in MaraDNS, to break that already narrowed scope down into even more focused binaries).
I had believed (and continue to hold) DNS software containing, e.g., an authoritative DNS server which lacks native TCP or DNSSEC support falls squarely into the "narrowly scoped" bucket and would appreciate if you'd not try to decide my opinion for me on any given project in the future.
The point of djbdns and qmail was this: It allowed administrators to run a local DNS server securely without needing to constantly patch the code. They were limited in scope, but were perfect for admins who valued security over features.
In an era when DNS was otherwise a monoculture, djbdns was a welcome breath of fresh air.
https://lwn.net/2001/0208/
Agreed, and that was a good use case + timing (at least for me a ways back :D). I.e. djbdns being narrow in scope isn't necessarily supposed to be a bad decision, it just doesn't serve as a counterexample to the narrow scope option as it was introduced to be.