Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!spool.mu.edu!mips!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ncar!midway!clout!chinet!les
From: les@chinet.chi.il.us (Leslie Mikesell)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.misc
Subject: Re: Is '@' ever needed?
Keywords: '%'
Message-ID: <1991Jun19.194817.22889@chinet.chi.il.us>
Date: 19 Jun 91 19:48:17 GMT
References: <797@minya.UUCP> <1991Jun18.173035.26682@chinet.chi.il.us> <1991Jun19.143817.14743@prl.dec.com>
Organization: Chinet - Chicago Public Access UNIX
Lines: 17

In article <1991Jun19.143817.14743@prl.dec.com> boyd@prl.dec.com (Boyd Roberts) writes:
>Well, according to RFC 822's syntax you can have a%b%c, but then you're
>left with just a `local part' address.  Your network software may well
>interpret this in any number of ways, but to me it indicates local delivery.

Yes, the idea is to be able to pass routing information past strict
RFC 822 hosts to a gateway machine that knows that not all machines
are registered with the NIC.  The other common convention of
using bang-path!user@domain rarely works as expected since uucp and
RFC 822 machines like to parse in opposite directions.  Since most
mail handling software is installed on non-gateway machines as well
as gateways, handling %'s as routing operators when no other operator
is present has become common practice even though it has never been
required.

Les Mikesell
  les@chinet.chi.il.us