** Sometime around 18:48 -0800 11/10/2000, Ellen Spertus sent us:
>Is there any way to set up headers so bounces go to the manager and
>replies go to the original sender?
Yes.
>This would be trivial if the "errors-to:" and "from:" headers were
>reliably used for bounces,
Use of Errors-to: has long been deprecated. However, some mail
servers still use it, so it's not a bad idea to include it for
completeness.
Use of header From: for mail bounces is an abomination, and authors
of MTAs (mail servers) that bounce to header From: should be taken
out back and beaten until their understanding of RFCs 821 and 1123
(et al.) improves.
>in which case "reply-to:" could be set to the original sender.
>Unfortunately, some mail programs send bounces to the reply-to
>address.
Authors of MTAs that bounce to Reply-To: should simply be killed
without ceremony.
>Has anyone using any list software figured out a way to route
>replies and bounces separately?
Yes. Bounces are to be routed to the "envelope from" address; this
address does not have to appear anywhere in the header (though, in
personal correspondence, it is often the same address as that in
header From: and/or Reply-To:). The "envelope from" address is the
address that appears in the SMTP "MAIL FROM" command.
When the message leaves the SMTP mail system, the "envelope from"
address is promoted into the message header as the Return-path: line.
Thus, you will hear people say that mail should be bounced to the
Return-Path address. Strictly speaking, it is more correct to say
that it is bounced to the "envelope from" address, though either
statement conveys the correct point.
The upshot of all this: Every MLM that I know of will generate an
"envelope from" address that is different from the header From: --
and since the vast majority of MTAs out there will properly bounce to
the envelope from address, NOT header From: or Reply-To:, you have a
formal separation of bounce messages and human replies.
As an aside: Whenever I find a user whose MTA bounces to either
header From: or Reply-To:, I immediately remove that user from the
mailing list. I try to avoid setting the bar for entry to my lists
above the point at which the user has direct control; however, in the
case of bouncing to header From: or Reply-To:, the miscreant MTA is
causing confusion and/or annoyance for other subscribers on the
mailing list, and there is no justification for permitting this
(IMO). Of course, decisions such as these are left up to the
individual list owners, YMMV, professional driver on a professional
track, limited-time offer, objects in mirror are closer than they
appear. </aside>
__________________________________________________________________________
Vince Sabio Got Bounces? <http://www.smartbounce.com/>
[EMAIL PROTECTED] Got Jokes? <http://www.humournet.com/>
Got Spam? <http://www.cauce.org/>
