WOOD@harvlaw1.harvard.edu (07/28/86)
The relative bizarreness of subject: headers in mail from bitnet sites
can stem from a number of possible sources:
1) the type of mail system used on the bitnet host
2) whether BITNET users are using the SENDGATE.EXEC (on IBM)
or BMAIL.COM (on vax/vms) command procedures.
3) What gateway the message is sent through.
Many mail systems do not use the SMTP headers; however users may avail
themselves of kluges to get around this by assembling appropriate headers
(that's what SENDGATE and BMAIL do).
BUT even if a proper header is assembled, some GATEWAY software will
munge it and stuff in the bogus "BITNET MAIL FOLLOWS" 'pseudo-subject'
line. I believe that gateways using BSMTP will do this. Other gateway
software simply IGNORES the subject line altogether. UGH.
I agree that bogons like this should be sought out and destroyed,
but it's hard to find out who to complain to. Gateways are fragile critters
at best, especially when we can't even get agreement on uniform usage of
something as simple as SMTP headers.
In any case, it is utterly futile to complain TO bitnet users
about the sorry conditions of the BITNET-othernet gateways, without offering
some advice.
[for my part, bitnet users on vax/vms machines using jnet software
can use my version of BMAIL.COM; it will build nice headers, but
the gateways it uses may not be best for your sites. Send me your
bitnet address and I'll send a copy. My bitnet address (in case
you can't find it in the long header above) is WOOD@HARVLAW1 .]
George Wood
Project Pericles
Harvard Law School.