Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!wb3ffv!ka3ovk!raysnec!shwake
From: shwake@raysnec.UUCP (Ray Shwake)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.uucp
Subject: Re: Imminent death of UUCP Zone predicted
Message-ID: <9@raysnec.UUCP>
Date: 27 Jul 90 15:27:12 GMT
References: <apqzpx.h2i@wang.com> <1990Jul16.202721.271@chinet.chi.il.us> <3143.26a2edd9@mccall.com> <1990Jul23.185016.7921@chinet.chi.il.us> <3209.26adae8e@mccall.com>
Organization: IRS/CI - Technical Solutions Branch
Lines: 42

tp@mccall.com writes:

>Uucp addressing in the envelope of a message (the transport layer) is not
>only self-consistent and "good", it is absolutely required (by all the uucp
>implementations I've seen). Uucp addressing in From: lines (the topic under
>discussion, unless one of us is misunderstanding the other) is bad. From:
>lines are specified by RFC822. Uucp addresses are not rfc822 compliant.
>Therefore any From: line that contains a uucp address is inherently
>invalid. 

	While I agree completely with your first contention, a return to
	first principles will clarify the common misunderstandings associated
	with the second part. 

	Electronic mail as handled by UUCP involves two files: The D.*
	file (DATA) is the actual text of the message; the X.* file (EXECUTE)
	is the command file. The latter constitutes the envelope, and
	traditionally includes only a bang path, but may contain an address
	of any format acceptable by the intermediary mailer - indeed, may
	contain any command recognizable by the remote host. The From: line
	is found in the D.* file, NOT the X.* file. 

	Such modifications of the From: line as have been discussed (and
	often sanctioned) in this thread violate the integrity of the
	message, by UUCP standards, but not by RFC-type mailers who have
	a different sense of "envelope" and "text". Quoting from Honeyman's
	January, 86 interview in Unix Review:

		The delivery agent should do nothing more than receive an
		envelope, read it, and pass it along. But *sendmail* breaks
		the rules not only by opening the letter and inspecting it
		but by actually modifying its contents. That's illegal!
		That's immoral! That's outrageous! How could you [Allman]
		possibly write a program that does that?

	The >From lines PREpended to the text by intermediary UUCP-
	conformant mailers provide supplementary information, and do not
	constitute violations of the text.

	Validity, therefore, depends on the rules of the environment.
	Smart mailers operating in a UUCP environment which attempt to
	conform to RFC rules typically end up violating UUCP rules.