Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!purdue!bu-cs!ckd
From: ckd@bu-pub.bu.edu (Christopher K Davis)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.misc
Subject: Re: replies to news Path: header
Message-ID: <35696@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Date: 2 Aug 89 06:56:49 GMT
References: <1062@aber-cs.UUCP> <59767@uunet.UU.NET> <3648@ncar.ucar.edu>
	<KARL.89Jul13215059@dinosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu> <2141@itivax.iti.org>
	<8984@chinet.chi.il.us> <AMBAR.89Jul30161342@binkley.mit.edu>
	<3466@epimass.EPI.COM> <1989Aug1.145235.3809@eci386.uucp>
Sender: daemon@bu-cs.BU.EDU
Organization: Boston University School of Management
Lines: 35

In article <*@eci386.uucp> clewis@eci386.uucp (Chris Lewis) writes:

   In article <3466@epimass.EPI.COM> jbuck@epimass.EPI.COM (Joe Buck) writes:

   >>   Did anyone think that people typed those 20-hop paths by hand?

   >Yes, this is probably true.  But the problem is that the Path: header
   >was never designed to be the return address; the Reply-To: header
   >should be used, and if that header isn't present, the From: header
   >should be used.  When building and installing news, INTERNET should
   >always be defined.  Even on dumb systems, the "mailpaths" file may be
   >used to cause replies to articles to be routed to a smart host for routing.
[chomp]
   The facilities exist to avoid the 20 hop syndrome: SA's should
   make sure that they read the associated documentation when installing
   news.

The *really* fun stuff happens with NNTP.  Look at my path header--unless
some programming elf changed something, it will end with "...!bu-cs!ckd".

I'm not posting from bu-cs, I'm posting *via* bu-cs... and I don't even
have an account there.  Just wait until someone tries to R to this message,
and their sysadmin left it using paths for return mail...

Is it any wonder why my .sig tells people to ignore the header?

   Chris Lewis, R.H. Lathwell & Associates: Elegant Communications Inc.
   UUCP: {uunet!mnetor, utcsri!utzoo}!lsuc!eci386!clewis
   Phone: (416)-595-5425
--
  /\  | /  |\  @bu-pub.bu.edu <preferred>  | Christopher K. Davis, BU SMG '90
 /    |/   | \ %bu-pub.bu.edu@bu-it.bu.edu |      uses standardDisclaimer;
 \    |\   | /  <for stupid sendmails>     |       BITNET: smghy6c@buacca 
  \/  | \  |/  @bucsb.UUCP <last resort>  or ...!bu-cs!bucsb!ckd if you gotta.
 --"Ignore the man behind the curtain and the address in the header." --ckd--