Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!uunet!mcsun!ukc!strath-cs!glasgow!root
From: bobw@gapos.british-telecom.co.uk (Bob Whitehouse)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.iso.x400
Subject: Re: Numeric OR Address fields (was: O/R name component ordering)
Message-ID: <bobw.677752735@azh01>
Date: 25 Jun 91 23:02:28 GMT
Sender: arpa-mhs-request@cs.ucl.ac.uk
Organization: Glasgow University Computing Science Dept.
Lines: 25
Approved: usenet@ics.uci.edu
X-Previously-To: comp-protocols-iso-x400@uunet.uu.net
Original-Sender: usenet@uk.co.british-telecom.gapos (Usenet login)
X-Mailer: mail-news 2.0.5
X-Attn: jns


In <6034.677564475@nma.com> Stef@ics.uci.edu (Einar Stefferud) writes:

|While I am in here -- Does anyone have any idea as to how much use
|will be made of the Terminal Identifier and the User Agent Numeric
|Indentifier atributes of the ORADdress?


My own experience indicates that these "numeric" fields are very
popoular with government and military networks. This is for two
reasons:

	1) Compatibilty with existing messaging systems
	   e.g. Telex (The military have lots of these).

	2) Security; a numeric identifier gives away nothing about
	   a recipients function or location.

They are not commonly used in commercial or academic spheres.

So the implementor of a UA must look at his potential market when
decidng what prominence should be allocated to these attributes.


BobW