Re: Mandatory From field, anonymity, and hacks

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bruce Lilly" <[email protected]>
To: "ietf-822" <[email protected]>
Cc: "Charles Lindsey" <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 12:00 PM
Subject: Re: Mandatory From field, anonymity, and hacks


> He did not "suggest[...] the possibility"; he flatly (and incorrectly)
> claimed that none were needed.  But, I suppose this is just another
> instance of the (in)famous Lindsey reading comprehension problem
> rearing its head.

Bruce,  you incorrectly read the statements I made as well so lightning up.
You made a proposal. Be ready for comments

There many different types of software in the loop and I don't think you
have taken into account how they will behave when one or more of the RFC
headers (depending on which one you are based on) is not present.

The fact is most if not all major mail servers do not require a RFC header
to be present in the DATA block.  This is NOT to suggest they are not
required.  The MSA will add an RFC.  The question I raised is what is what
is the expected  behavior or what is deemed a valid RFC header.

I don't wish to go thru the different and conflictive requirements as they
evolved in the last two decades. But you now are proposing a new (relaxed)
requirement, that wasn't there in the first place.

In that vain, your proposals is not harmful.  But again, the difference is
how the downlink software is going to behave.

Do I need to outline the different requirements based on each MAIL Related
RFC as it evolved?

Sit down and write then the functional model for a valid RFC and do it
chronologically.  Let me help you with this starting point:

   RFC 821  SMTP, August 1982
   RFC 822  Mail Format, August 1982
   RFC 1123 Hosting Requirements, October, 1989
   RFC 2046 MIME extensions, November 1996
   RFC 2476 SUBMIT December 1998
   RFC 2821 SMTP, April 2001
   RFC 2822 Mail Format, April 2001

Think of terms on how software that existed since the 80's evolved and keep
in mind the all important 1123 played a very strong role in cleaning up the
requirements for nearly 12 years from 89 to 2001.

I've do it for you if you like.

Sincerely,

Hector Santos, CTO
Santronics Software, Inc.
http://www.santronics.com
305-431-2846 Cell
305-248-3204 Office