Let me explain something to you.
The existing restrictions -- both for 7-bit transport and limitations on the
contents of a header -- exist for a good reason. These restrictions are not
going to go away, no matter what RFC-XXXX or any other document may decree.
There is a large installed base of software which can not be changed
trivially. This software is currently conforming to standards. One does not
lightly declare conforming software `non-conforming.'
Much of this software is older than ISO 8859-1. Need I remind you that the
ARPAnet and later the Internet was designed by the US Department of Defense
for use by the US DoD, and *not* for the general world community?
RFC-822/SMTP is *not* the international standard. X.400 is. The RFC-822/SMTP
community *may* internationalize its protocol to help you guys, but only in
due time with due consideration for its primary user group, which was and
remains users in North America.
If you don't like this state of affairs, use X.400. Unlike RFC-822/SMTP,
Europeans had a large say in X.400's design, and the Internet is officially
committed to conversion to X.400 so we can be compatible with you.
If you insist upon playing in what was formerly a strictly American playpen,
you have to fit in with those who have been playing there for decades. You
can not go in and demand that everybody change to accomodate you. Perhaps the
reason why you want to use RFC-822/SMTP instead of X.400 is that unlike the
X.400 designers, we have been very conservative and cautious and not given in
to every random demand that gets made?
We -- the rest of the playpen -- are trying very hard to determine how we can
solve your needs while not unduly distressing the old-timers in the playpen.
A demanding attitude, seeming to come from one specific region in Europe --
Scandanavia -- is *not* going to help in this. It is not a simple problem, it
does not have simple answers, and the only thing you are going to accomplish
by demanding such will be to get everyone angry and simply telling all of you
in Scandanavia to use X.400 the way you are supposed to be.
According to a quick estimate the total population of Scandanavia is about 20
million people. As a rough estimate, that suggests that there is about 1/15th
the e-mail population in Scandanavia as there is in North America. There is
evidence that greater than 1/15th of the e-mail population in North America
would be hurt by an incautious internationalization (such as Prime's so-called
`proposal').
Please be patient. Threats to sabotage the completion of RFC-XXXX if it does
not include internationalization will only serve to anger everyone else. I
will vote AGAINST any RFC-XXXX proposal that attempts to internationalize
headers, on the grounds that such an effort will be a slipshod kludge. This
(especially) includes any attempt to mandate 8-bit transport.