Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!tiamat!jim
From: jim@tiamat.fsc.com (Jim O'Connor)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.misc
Subject: Re: Read Receipts & Return Receipts in E-mail
Message-ID: <530@tiamat.fsc.com>
Date: 12 Apr 89 16:28:26 GMT
References: <11428@s.ms.uky.edu> <513@tiamat.fsc.com> <2765@crete.cs.glasgow.ac.uk>
Organization: Filtration Sciences - Chattanooga,TN
Lines: 23

In article <2765@crete.cs.glasgow.ac.uk>, taylor@cs.glasgow.ac.uk (Mr Jem Taylor) writes:
> In article <513@tiamat.fsc.com> jim@tiamat.fsc.com (Jim O'Connor) writes:
> >It is probably true that any type of "tell me when/if they read it" feature
> >would have to be implemented in the MUA's (perhaps a new feature for Elm 2.3).
> 
> I would not use a User Agent which did such a thing without asking me
> first, when I read a message tagged with Return-Receipt: ...

That sounds reasonable.  The MUA could flag the message with some
identifier indicating it is a "Read Receipt" message, so the user would know
that notification will be sent.  Or exit the smart MUA, and read/delete the
message with an old "mail" MUA, which would not know what to do with the
header.

There might be some sticky points to work out (e.g. make sure you send the
notification only once), but there are times when I really wonder if a
person has read the mail I sent, or simply discarded it.  I guess the
right of freedom to ignore people will win out on this one.
------------- 
James B. O'Connor			jim@tiamat.fsc.com
Filtration Sciences Corporation		615/821-4022 x. 651

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