Path: utzoo!yunexus!geac!syntron!jtsv16!uunet!mcvax!hp4nl!orcenl!bengsig
From: bengsig@orcenl.uucp (Bjorn Engsig)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.uucp
Subject: is host!user == user@host.uucp always
Message-ID: <172.nlunix6@orcenl.uucp>
Date: 28 Oct 88 10:32:42 GMT
Article-I.D.: orcenl.172.nlunix6
Organization: ORACLE Europe, The Netherlands
Lines: 22


Is it always true, that <host>!<user> == <user>@<host>.uucp?  Our sendmail.cf
files does this transformation, which conflicts somewhat with my idea of
! being the path or route sign, and @ being a mere separator between a
username and a host specification.

Here on the European EUnet, it seems that <host>!<user> will always reach the
person I excpect as long as it is sent to one of our backbones.

I have also sent to persons in the U.S. using <user>@<host>.uucp, and it has
found it's way even though the path from my backbone (mcvax) to <host>
is long.

Am I just lucky that mcvax is so clever?  Or has the meaning of <host>!<user>
as <user> on a <host> directly connected to me changed to <user> on <host>
ANYWHERE known in the maps?  This is not only a question of rerouting,
since I don't really know the to path to <host>, but just send <host>!<user>
over to the backbone.
-- 
Bjorn Engsig, ORACLE Europe      \ /    "Hofstaedter's Law:  It always takes
..!uunet!mcvax!orcenl!bengsig     X      longer than you expect, even if you
phone:  +31 21 59 56 411         / \     take into account Hofstaedter's Law"