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You are totally missing the point that there is nothing added by
embedding an open SMTP server in the middle of this process.
No, that is not what is going on. I gave some reasons to keep open
relays (and no doubt others could give more), and you simply valued your
approach more than the ones I suggested.
Our charter (http://www.irtf.org/charters/asrg.html) is "to understand
the problem and collectively propose and evaluate solutions to the
problem". This includes evaluations of "the usefulness and cost of
proposed solutions."
It is certainly premature to assume that the net cost of one solution
(such as eliminating open relays) exceeds or trails the net cost of
another solution (such as content filtering). This is especially true in
that one user's individual situation may differ greatly from that of
others' situations. If there is not an extremely good and compelling
reason to impose the values of the majority on everyone, then it is both
unethical, and poor engineering, to do so.
You appear to assume that, since open relays are not "necessary", then
they have no value, however slight. There are two flaws in this
argument:
First, you arrogantly dismiss the cost to others of your
solution. Simply because I have access to resources does not
give me any moral right to require everyone else to acquire
those same capabilities. If you were willing to go out at your
own expense and personally reconfigure all of those open relays,
then perhaps I would be convinced there is no cost to anyone
(except you).
Second, there may be no benefit whatsoever to requiring closure
of all open relays. Even if all open relays were closed, then
the spam problem would not be solved. If (when) we determine
that some other solution would be effective and cost little,
then why close the relays?
Therfore, you cannot rightly say that "there is nothing added by
embedding an open SMTP server in the middle of this process". You may be
(and I believe probably are) wrong regarding both the cost and benefits.
Until we can quantify, or at least describe, the benefits of all
reasonable solutions, it is inappropriate to rule one out merely because
an alternative does the same thing.
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