Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site sdcsvax.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!qantel!hplabs!sdcrdcf!sdcsvax!jww
From: jww@sdcsvax.UUCP (Joel West)
Newsgroups: net.mail
Subject: Precedence of operators
Message-ID: <1132@sdcsvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 7-Oct-85 13:50:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdcsvax.1132
Posted: Mon Oct  7 13:50:05 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 15-Oct-85 10:56:03 EDT
References: <593@down.FUN> <10476@ucbvax.ARPA> <12317@Glacier.ARPA> <273@graffiti.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: CACI, Inc - Federal, La Jolla
Lines: 45
Summary: Don't give bangs precedence

In article <273@graffiti.UUCP>, peter@graffiti.UUCP (Peter da Silva) writes:
> The only problem I see with the bang scheme is that sites
> are ignoring it. If they gave it precedence over ARPA and other non-bang
> syntax it'd work fine...
> 
> 	If (the address contains BANGS &&
> 	    I am adjacent to the next site in the path)
> 		Send it to them;
> 
> 	Use whatever heuristics you want to handle ambiguous paths, but if
> you get a UUCP message that is addressed to the site next door to you, DON'T
> look any further! 

I can't agree.  This may be a religious debate, but the use of "Bang 
precedence" is what causes all sorts of ambiguities in the system.

If I say
	pyramid!bugs@sri-unix.ARPA
I want it delivered to the system that is one hop away from sri-unix
on the ARPA net.  This is a standard, recognizable address that
all ARPA sites and many UUCP sites can handle.

Now if I'm at 
	gould9!cacimv!joel@NOSC.ARPA,
so what?  Just let me take the address
	pyramid!bugs@sri-unix.ARPA
and pass it on to gould9 as is.  Gould9 does the same towards NOSC,
even though it is a UUCP-only site without ARPA access.

[Watch my lips: THE ADDRESS IS NOT REWRITTEN]

In fact, NOSC can take the address as is, and hand it to SRI-UNIX
as is. [THE ADDRESS IS NOT REWRITTEN].

This is the magical part about domains: they present an isotropic
address space.  (Look that up in your Funk & Wagnalls!)  No matter
where you stick the mail message in, properly handled, it will
arrive at its destination.

But of course, if one site decides to turn this standard on its
head, all hell breaks loose.

	Joel West	CACI, Inc. - Federal (c/o Gould CSD)
	{ihnp4,cbosgd,decvax!sdcsvax}!gould9!joel
	gould9!joel@NOSC.ARPA		(an unambigous address)