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From: pgf@mtung.ATT.COM (Paul Fox)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.misc,comp.mail.uucp
Subject: Why @? (was NO NO NO NO NO, sort of)
Message-ID: <969@mtung.ATT.COM>
Date: Thu, 2-Jul-87 15:46:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: mtung.969
Posted: Thu Jul  2 15:46:05 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 4-Jul-87 08:45:01 EDT
References: <16238@amdcad.AMD.COM> <3546@cbosgd.ATT.COM> <8706121716.AA13932@ephemeral.ai.toronto.edu>
Reply-To: pgf@mtung.UUCP (gws-Paul Fox)
Organization: AT&T ISL Middletown NJ USA
Lines: 74
Xref: mnetor comp.mail.misc:396 comp.mail.uucp:671


	Okay, so I've got a question.  First let me say that I know 
	next to nothing about this stuff, though I do understand the 
	concept of domains etc.  I am relatively naive about mail/uucp 
	networking issues.  Please don't chop my head off...  

	Why wouldn't the following be a "good thing"?:

	Let's assume that for quite some time there will be UNIX boxes 
	around that know nothing about domains.  I don't think that's 
	too farfetched.  Let's assume that I use one regularly.  Don't 
	even assume that.  I do.  Let's also assume that I want to 
	send mail to a friend who logs into a similar box running 
	similarly antiquated (you say) software.  

	It used to be that I could send mail to friend on theirbox via 
	various machines as: 

		mail mach1!mach2!theirbox!friend

	And *sometimes* they could reply as:

		mail mach2!mach1!mybox!pgfox
	
	At other times (or for other friends), the path would not be 
	reversible, and different hops would be used:

		mail mach3!mach4!mybox!pgfox

	This is the anarchy we've all grown to know and love, 
	expressed in an incredibly intuitive (I think) syntax.  

	Now if I ruled the world, and had thought of domains (which I 
	might not have, that's a different problem), I might have 
	tried to preserve the syntax so beloved to all of my subjects, 
	and invented some "meta-machines" for people to send mail 
	through, as in: 

		mail EDU!UNIV!theirbox!friend

	The path is non-reversible, of course.  My friend would type:

		mail COM!ATT!mtune!pgfox

	but that's okay, because we're already used to non-reversible paths.

	The reason I mention this is that it extends naturally to the 
	current situation where neither mybox nor theirbox speaks 
	domains.  If we assume we both talk to machines that do know 
	domains (mine is mtune), then we get: 

		mail mtune!EDU!UNIV!theirneighbor!theirbox!friend

	and of course:

		mail theirneighbor!COM!ATT!mtune!mybox!pgfox

	In reality, of course, mtune, which understands domains, will 
	eat both the EDU and the UNIV "meta-machines", treating them 
	however it does now in "theirneighbor@UNIV.EDU".  

	I thinks this also eliminates precedence problems (of the NO 
	NO NO NO NO variety.  (As well as the problem that my 
	addresses are always being swallowed by my line kill 
	character.  :-) 

	Okay-- I've proved my ignorance-- rip me apart.

	By the way, I *think* I can be reached at "p.g.fox@mtune!ATT.COM",
	but I *know* I can be reached at "ihnp4!mtung!pgf".

-- 
			Paul Fox, AT&T Information Systems, Middletown NJ.
			  [ihnp4|vax135]!mtung!pgf (201)957-2698