Lindsay Haisley writes:
> Thanks, Russ. The 'fix' is fairly trivial and I've already done it, and in
> fact routinely do it for qmail installs I do. In real-world terms, it costs
> more in tech support time to deal with complaints and problems resulting
> from rejection of non-compliant email than it does to deal with problems
> arising from accepting it.
That's the point -- the munging is hard to detect but the bouncing is
easy to detect. Plus, the munging hurts the recipient, who didn't
generate the message and has no idea that the line shouldn't be broken
where it was. The recipient may be completely unable to detect the
munging. The bouncing is detected by the sender, who is in a position
to download a repaired version of the SMTP client.
The tech support response should be "Your email client has a bug.
Update it to the newest version. If the problem is still present, ask
your email client vendor to fix it. Give them the smtplf URL." OTOH,
Dan could have links to updated versions of software in his
smtplf.html file. That would make it less likely that tech support
would even be contacted.
> My purpose here was to inquire regarding what appears to be a conflict
> between qmail and an emerging standard. If the draft I referenced becomes
> an RFC, then, whether we like it or not, qmail will apparently be out of
> compliance with accepted specifications for email in this regard. RFCs are,
> after all, the final authority for what is and is not appropriate technical
> behavior on the Internet, and departure from these standards shouldn't be
> done lightly.
Very few vendors implement IEEE 802.3. Some standards are too stupid
to comply with.
> Please note that I'm in general agreement with your position on this, and
> question the wisdom of establishing a dual standard for originating and
> receiving email, but this is indeed what the draft proposes. This is as
> much as anything a head's up to you and others regarding the issue.
Thanks!
--
-russ nelson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://russnelson.com
Crynwr sells support for free software | PGPok | "Ask not what your country
521 Pleasant Valley Rd. | +1 315 268 1925 voice | can force other people to
Potsdam, NY 13676-3213 | +1 315 268 9201 FAX | do for you..." -Perry M.
