The following are questions that have been raised about 8-bit SMTP
and 822 in the past:
Just what does "Just declare 8-bit mailers more functional." really
mean?
It really means that 7-bit mailers, which can't pass 8-bit messages
*TODAY*, won't be able to do so tomorrow either. (If you want the
new functionality, you'll have to upgrade your mailer and any that
you route through. But, if you don't want the new functionality,
you don't have to do anything.)
What about the problem reported by Paul Vixie with 7-bit ULTRIX (I
think) mailers falling over when receiving an 8-bit data line of only
AE ("registered trademark") which when stripped to 7-bits looks like
2E ("period")?
This problem cannot occur with AUC. The AUC representation of AE and
(other 8859/1 G1 codes) is 2 octets. 8859/1 AE is represented A0 AE.
What about applications that might fall over when receiving a mail
message that contained unexpected 8-bit data?
While I realize that this can and has occurred, most places have
treated it as a lack of network robustness on the part of the
applications. We concur.
Suppose my mailer and/or my applications are not supported and
can't be upgraded? (Yes, this issue has been raised.)
I'm sorry, it you run unsupported software, you always face this
problem. However, if you run supported software, you may already
have an 8-bit clean SMTP or UUCP on your system. Most vendors/
providers are already shipping them.