Re: Last Call: SMTP Service Extension for Content Negotiation to Proposed Standard

> >IMO, the ultimate aim (even if this is not practical) is to deliver to
> >each recipient the same version of the Fax as they would have received IF
> >they were the only addressee while at the same time generating only the
> >minimum number of copies to allow multi-
> 
> That is a worthy and reasonable use for this capability.  And, of course
> yes, it motivated creating this option.
> 
> However that level of "perfection" is not required.  There is nothing wrong
> with a service model that is satisfied with sending the least common
> denominator.
> 
> The choice is the sender's.

as long as the sender gets to specify the conditions under which the
conversion is done, that seems just fine - it is no different than
allowing the the sender to personally look at a set of potential
recipients' capabilities and decide what the minimum requirements
for reception (and therefore the LCD format) should be.

however the current proposal doesn't really give the sender a way
to specify that threshhold - unless, perhaps, the negotiation/conversion 
is performed by an MTA that is under control of the sender (in which
case the threshold could be specified by explicit configuration)
and that MTA has the abliity to speak SMTP directly with MTAs that 
know the recipients' capabilities.

in other words, enabling the sender to make the choice is not 
compatible with the vast majority of the deployed email 
infrastructure (even assuming that those MTAs are extended to 
support this extension) 

Keith