Re: Feedback on Hypertext Mail Protocol (a.k.a. Stub Email)

This is all very insightful and entertaining, but, could we just stop.

It is obvious that there are a great many ways to exploit e-mail 
systems.  The current systems are abused daily.  And, we can all think 
of ways in which IM2000-ish stuff could be abused.  So, why don't we 
think outside the box a bit.

For example.

Can we augment, or work around, the current e-mail systems MTUs and MUAs 
to give end-users anti-spam features without having to re-write the 
whole guts of the internet.

For example . . . use a formatted message notification with checksums, 
signatures and other information.  Make a Thunderbird/OE/O/whatever MUA 
plugin which will recognize a properly formatted notice and mark it as a 
properly formatted notice.  The notice must have truly identifying 
information in it which cannot be forged.  Within the notice could be an 
embedded link to allow for the person who receives the message to 
acknowledge that they really do want the message.  Once the link is 
selected the sending MTA could release the message from queue to be sent 
with credentials which match the notification.  The message should 
arrive in moments and be found authentic by the plugin.

I am sure that everyone can find ten-dozen things wrong with this idea. 
  But, it is better than trying to figure out how all these MTAs in the 
world will figure out what to do with e-mail without user intervention. 
  I for one would be happy to see a system which required user 
intervention.  Send me a notice . . . I won't care.  If everyone I know 
used notices to send e-mail, I would never accept open e-mail, without 
notices, again.

Here is an idea, make software capable of running as a lightweight MTA 
(with smarthost) on the client machine that the plugin manages.  Then 
the MTAs on the internet don't have to change at all.

Then when we are all done, we don't have to force our ideas upon the 
entire internet mail system.  We just work through it.  People will have 
less spam.  Spammers can't send you anything you don't want to see.  You 
could even put other limitations on the e-mail.  For example, if you 
controlled the sending MTA/MUA the notice could provide for the 
acceptance of attachments.

Just don't make this so complicated that grandma can't use it.  In fact, 
if you could make it grandma proof, the entire world might just adopt it.

And, someday, I can just stop accepting mail which doesn't have a 
notice.  Wouldn't that be nice.

Bryan -

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