How to lunch webpage without using SMTP server?

[Grant Edwards]

On 2004-07-21, John fabiani <jfabiani at yolo.com> wrote:
>> On 2004-07-21, Nancy <wxling3 at hotmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>>>  Is there any other way to use python or mod_python writing a web page?
>>>I mean, not use "form.py/email", no SMTP server.
>>>   <form action="form.py/email" method="POST"> ...
>> 
>> I'm afraid your question make no sense.
>> 
>> SMTP is a mail-transfer protocol. It's got nothing to do with
>> webpages.  Or with lunch.  ;)
>> 
>> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>
> I think she's trying to say: Is there away to send an email
> from a web page without having a SMTP server.

I'm afraid I don't quite know what it means to "send an e-mail
from a web page."

> http://www.hare.demon.co.uk/pysmtp.html

Hmm, I don't see how you could use that to send an e-mail.

> I believe a SMTP server (of sometype) is required somewhere.
> That said maybe you can use

If what she's trying to do is send an e-mail from a Python
program (running as a CGI program or ASP handler, or Zope
something-or-other perhaps?), then what she needs is an SMTP
client module like the one implimented by
http://docs.python.org/lib/module-smtplib.html.

To use such an SMTP client, yes, you have to have an SMTP
server to which you can send the e-mail.  There's not really
any way around that.  SMTP is how e-mail is transferred on the
Internet, and to send an mail you need to connect to an SMTP
server.

You can't send mail with an SMTP server.  The direction of
e-mail transfer in SMTP is client --> server.  [Unless there
are SMTP extensions that allow bi-directional mail transfers?
I've never seen one in use...]

-- 
Grant Edwards                   grante             Yow!  My uncle Murray
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