> He  seemed to feel that it was up to the MUA to generate the header,
> but  his  response  was that with Windows, it is impossible to get a
> host/domain  name  that  is  appropriate  for  the  header  (without
> specifically asking the user for another piece of information).

The  canonical hostname is accessible from the Win32 API. But he is an
awesome programmer, so I'll leave it be.

> So  a  Message-ID:  header  with  a  real  GUID in it, in the format
> "Message-ID:   <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>"   would   be   unique,   even  if
> "example.com" wasn't involved in the process.

I  agree, but not all of those MUAs are using a true GUID. So one must
assume  that they cannot guarantee global uniqueness for the left-hand
side; and adding a non-unique hostname doesn't help. Just MO.

> Also,  note  that the Message-ID: header that IMail adds is based on
> the "HELO" text that the remote mail client/server sends -- so IMail
> (as  an MTA) won't have any more unique of a Message-ID: than any of
> the mail clients that connect to it.

This  isn't  what  RFCs  indicate,  but even so, a machine's canonical
hostname  is presumed to be unique--guess the question is whether this
is  what  the  MUA  sends  as  the  HELO;  with  janky  M$,  it's  the
NetBIOS/unqualified hostname, for example.

> Of course, you could argue that IMail should use a local domain name
> in the Message-ID: header.

Yeah,  this  is  what  the  RFCs  suggest--the  "the host on which the
message identifier was created."

> Then again, I personally feel that a Message-ID: header that is "almost 
> certainly unique" should be fine.  But, that's just my personal opinion.  :)

Eh, me too. But it's fun to debate. :))

-Sandy


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