[mod.protocols] Has this failed mail got to stop?

W8SDZ@SIMTEL20.ARPA.UUCP (08/18/86)

I don't condone the reaction of John Gilmore.  What I do wonder,
though, is why DoD hasn't ORDERED that this failed mail situation be
fixed because of the vast amount of net resources used in sending
advisory and failed notices.  It sometimes takes so much of the
resources here at Simtel20 as to stop all network terminal output for
30-45 seconds at a time during the period when the mailer is sending
those.

--Keith

fair%lll-tis-b.ARPA@LLL-TIS-GW.ARPA (Erik E. Fair) (08/22/86)

Three comments:

1. Internet mailing lists should make arrangements for the error
	messages to be directed at the list maintainer, rather than at
	the hapless (and helpless) author of a random message. There
	are established methods for doing this; One example of a list
	that does this properly is <tcp-ip@sri-nic.arpa>.  For those of
	you on UNIX systems, I have some stuff that will accomplish this.

2. The behavior of the TOPS-20 mailer in sending "intermediate"
	error messages is reprehensible, and should be fixed.
	Neatly enough, if #1 is implemented universally, those of us
	not afflicted with that mailer should never get its
	intermediate error messages, whether it gets fixed or not.

3. Mark, you missed the point. Mail filters, while necessary tools
	that almost no one has, are not germane to this problem. See #1.

	Erik E. Fair	styx!fair	fair@lll-tis-b.arpa