JPALME@qz.qz.se (Jacob Palme QZ) (08/20/90)
>>For what it's worth, my $0.02 on X.400 addressing: From what I >>percieve as being proposed as required address formats for input >>by humans to send mail to other humans it is *completely >>ridiculous*. For use by computers, fine. Humans??? Wake up. >>It looks like something a first year CS student would >>hack up for one of his projects. >>In my view electronic mail addressing formats should converge to >>those used to address ordinary physical mail, the kind you put >>stamps on and put in the mail box on the corner. >>Do you see ordinary people getting into "C=SE; ADMD=TEDE; PRMD=QZ"? That the OR-address format in X.400 is very difficult for non-experts to use is wellknown. I am however not sure if the comment above is (a) A comment on whether the X.400 OR-address format is human-friendly or not. (b) A comment on whether the proposed business card format for writing OR-addresses, given their present definition, is human-friendly or not. It is important to distinguish between these two alternatives, since the OR-address format has been a standard since 1984, and is (unfortu- nately) very difficult to change now, while the business card format can still be changed, if someone can come up with a better alternative.
davecb@nexus.yorku.ca (David Collier-Brown) (08/22/90)
JPALME@qz.qz.se (Jacob Palme QZ) writes: [in a discussion of the OR-format address] quoth someone: > >>For what it's worth, my $0.02 on X.400 addressing: From what I > >>percieve as being proposed as required address formats for input > >>by humans to send mail to other humans it is *completely > >>ridiculous*. For use by computers, fine. Humans??? jpalme saith: >That the OR-address format in X.400 is very difficult for non-experts to >use is wellknown. I am however not sure if the comment above is >(a) A comment on whether the X.400 OR-address format is human-friendly > or not. >(b) A comment on whether the proposed business card format for writing > OR-addresses, given their present definition, is human-friendly > or not. or (c), the linearized form for use by non-programmatic mail users. The discussion of a business-card form is, IMHO, at best a matter of typography and at worst a red herring. Indeed, as is the OR-address in any strictly human context. Can we return to discussing the MUA, please? --dave -- David Collier-Brown, | davecb@Nexus.YorkU.CA, ...!yunexus!davecb or 72 Abitibi Ave., | {toronto area...}lethe!dave Willowdale, Ontario, | "And the next 8 man-months came up like CANADA. 416-223-8968 | thunder across the bay" --david kipling