Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!pdn!tscs!tct!chip From: chip@tct.uucp (Chip Salzenberg) Newsgroups: comp.mail.misc Subject: Re: Which headers may Sendmail re-write? Message-ID: <27640B42.19ED@tct.uucp> Date: 10 Dec 90 22:25:05 GMT References: <1CE00001.914g2o@tbomb.ice.com> <1990Dec8.051401.26836@mp.cs.niu.edu> Organization: Teltronics/TCT, Sarasota, FL Lines: 30 According to rickert@mp.cs.niu.edu (Neil Rickert): >Part of the problem is with terminology such as 'Envelope' that has >developed. This makes one think of a standard letter, with everything >not in the envelope being the contents. This is an unfortunate way to >look at it. Actually, I find the usage of "envelope" to refer to the external address information -- the From_ line, the argument to the remotely executed "rmail" command, the parameter of the MAIL FROM and RCPT TO line(s) of SMTP -- to be quite appropriate. They correspond quite nicely to the destination and return addresses on a first class letter. Where the Evilness and Rudeness of Sendmail comes in is when headers are modified ON THEIR WAY THROUGH to another site. For example, if you are unfortunate enough to send UUCP mail to someone via Sun.COM, you'll be in for a shock. Your To:, From: and Reply-To: addresses will be mangled into unusableness! Why? Because Sendmail modifies all headers on which it gets its grubby little fingers, no matter the message's final destination. Sendmail doesn't care where a message came from or where it's going. All headers are fair game. In my opinion, the header mangling "feature" of Sendmail is the worst thing to happen to E-Mail ever. Sendmail is an equal opportunity destroyer. If only I could go back and erase just that one disk at just the right time... -- Chip Salzenberg at Teltronics/TCT , "What's that thing, when people die, they take apart the body to see why?" -- St. Theresa of the Net