Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!ut-sally!ut-ngp!werner
From: werner@ut-ngp.UUCP (Werner Uhrig)
Newsgroups: net.mail
Subject: Re: Domains: Multiple names OK? (really, decommissioning of nicknames)
Message-ID: <3945@ut-ngp.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 8-Sep-86 21:19:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: ut-ngp.3945
Posted: Mon Sep  8 21:19:27 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 9-Sep-86 00:25:49 EDT
References: <566@mecc.UUCP> <2502@cbosgd.UUCP> <3920@ut-ngp.UUCP> <1053@decuac.DEC.COM>
Organization: UTexas Computation Center, Austin, Texas
Lines: 41
Summary: about missing the point ....


> What do people who compain about having to type "user@seismo.css.gov"
> instead of "user@seismo"  do when they address a letter for USPS
> delivery?  You have to specify street *and* street number!  City *and*
> state!

talking about Apple and Oranges ....

what is at issue here is *NECESSARY* complexity in network Email
and how to deal with that in the MOST USER-FRIENDLY way possible ...

My argument is that, as long as there is no second site SEISMO on the net
it is an atrocity for people to get slapped in the face by the mailer which
all of a sudden disavows knowing SEISMO.  And, BTW, what is your image of
how the *average* user finds out that it is now supposed to be SEISMO.CSS.GOV?
Simply *KNOW* what CSS.GOV is and that it is the *obvious* choice?  HAH !!
Know about "grep" and "/etc/hosts" (and the format of entries in that file)?
Fat chance - would work only on UNIX-machines, anyway, on other machines the
HOST-tables may not even be user-accessable.  Ask your local expert?  Right,
what do you think he'll tell the third person that calls and asks how he
can now reach john@xyzvax or jane@abc-ibm1?  Giving them the phone-number
of the people responsible for removing the simple aliases without worrying
about the user-impact comes to mind ..... (remember, we have seen nothing yet.
imagine the terror of *ALL* sites dropping their basic alias.)

And dealing with the complexity of multiple aliases in a user-friendly
fashion isn't such a difficult problem either (that is ancient problem with
several acceptable solutions).  First, if there are only few aliases, simple
list me a menu of choices to pick from.  Second, if there are lots of
"matches" try to narrow down the "hits" by asking for additional info, possibly
listing some classification keywords.  Sound familiar?
And after one time of this interactive help, you are likely to remember that
SEISMO is now SEISMO.CSS.GOV, if for no other reason than to avoid the delay
of the interactive menu ....  and for those that happen to forget?  no harm
done - no insults to their mental capacity called for: here comes the menu
again ....

As the number of users and sites increases we will, of course, approach a
problem not dissimilar to that of sending UPS-mail today.
I'll worry about that when we get there, but nothing I have said is any less
valid in result ....