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Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!munnari!kre
From: kre@munnari.oz (Robert Elz)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.uucp
Subject: Re: cancelling mail messages
Message-ID: <1337@munnari.oz>
Date: Wed, 26-Nov-86 16:11:02 EST
Article-I.D.: munnari.1337
Posted: Wed Nov 26 16:11:02 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 27-Nov-86 07:58:56 EST
References: <40@dcl-csvax.comp.lancs.ac.uk> <119@devon.UUCP>
Organization: Comp Sci, Melbourne Uni, Australia
Lines: 39

In article <40@dcl-csvax.comp.lancs.ac.uk>, stephen@comp.lancs.ac.uk
(Stephen J. Muir) writes:
> I wonder how many of you have sent a mail message then wished you hadn't?  I
> would like to see a facility for cancelling messages, similar to the way it is
> done by the usenet software:

In article <119@devon.UUCP>, paul@devon.UUCP (Paul Sutcliffe Jr.) replies:
> There are many variables playing here which would affect the usefulness
> of such a command, mostly time related.

The usefulness of such a command isn't what's really important, its
its propriety.

As readers of the Australian aus.mail newsgroup know, I very much
like to make analogs between paper mail and e-mail whenever a
question of how e-mail should behave arises.

So, ask the same question about paper mail?  Can you cancel paper
mail after you have sent it?

No.  What's more, its (in most jurisdictions) illegal to try - mail
once posted belongs to the recipient.

It seems to me that the same is (should be) true of e-mail.  Once
a message is sent, its out of your control, and now its up to the
recipient to decide what to do with it.

Usenet is another matter altogether.  Its outside world analog
is a bulletin board.  If you post something on a bulletin board,
you're entirely free to go and take it down again.  In a similar
way you're free to cancel something that you post on usenet.
The reasons why you might want to do this are similar too, if
you are looking for some information, then receive it, it makes
sense to remove your question to save others the expense of
answering.

The real solution is to think more before sending e-mail.

Robert Elz			{seismo,hplabs,ukc,mcvax}!munnari!kre