Path: utzoo!utstat!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!mlb.semi.harris.com!thrush.mlb.semi.harris.com!del
From: del@thrush.mlb.semi.harris.com (Don Lewis)
Newsgroups: news.software.b
Subject: Re: Who pays the bill?
Message-ID: <1990Aug1.055139.15127@mlb.semi.harris.com>
Date: 1 Aug 90 05:51:39 GMT
References: <3275.26b54aab@mccall.com> <1990Jul31.211125.11451@mlb.semi.harris.com> <818@toaster.SFSU.EDU>
Sender: news@mlb.semi.harris.com
Organization: Harris Semiconductor, Melbourne FL
Lines: 39

In article <818@toaster.SFSU.EDU> eps@cs.SFSU.EDU (Eric P. Scott) writes:
>While netnews is commonly thought of as "usenet software," by now
>you should be aware that it is often used in other ways: for
>example, to distribute "alternative" hierarchies in parallel with
>the seven sisters.  Now imagine, if you will, an organization
>with an isolated, internal network, that likes the functionality
>and available user interfaces we enjoy, and wants to deploy it
>for their own use.  It may make sense for them to choose the non-
>INTERNET configuration.

But it just as likely that the INTERNET configuration is the right
choice in this situation.

>What the documentation should clearly state for sites that are
>using netnews for ->usenet<- traffic, that INTERNET should ALWAYS
>be #defined (even for sites not "on" the Internet, and even for
>sites not running pathalias).  Path: lines DO NOT WORK FOR REPLY.
>Maybe for intra-Eunet traffic, but not in general.  It doesn't
>make sense in North America.  The "INTERNET" conditional may be
>misnamed, but it's a bit late to change it.
>

Its never too late to change.  If we do nothing, we are stuck with
our present problems.  If we fix the software now, people will
start to use it and the problem of mail being sent along Path:
lines will sloowly fade away.

I propose having three choices for the configuration:

    REPLY_RFC822  - Replies to the contents of From: or Reply-To:

    REPLY_PATH    - Replies to the contents of Path: - not recommended

    REPLY_RFC976  - replys to a uucp bang path (for mailers that don't
		    understand @) constructed by [fill in the blank]
--
Don "Truck" Lewis                      Harris Semiconductor
Internet:  del@mlb.semi.harris.com     PO Box 883   MS 62A-028
Phone:     (407) 729-5205              Melbourne, FL  32901