The following information is essential for any proposal that seeks to
replace the SMTP protocol and/or the email infrastructure of the Internet.
This is a quote taken from section 4.1 of
(http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-crocker-spam-techconsider-02.txt),
emphasis added:
-----snip----
"A key construct to examination of adoption and benefit is
"core-vs-edge". Generally, adoption at the edge of a system is easier and
quicker than adoption in the core. If a mechanism affects the core
(infrastructure) then it usually must be adopted by most or all of the
infrastructure before it provides meaningful utility. IN SOMETHING THE
SCALE OF THE INTERNET, IT CAN TAKE DECADES TO REACH THAT LEVEL OF ADOPTION,
IF IT EVER DOES.
Remember that the Internet comprises a massive number of independent
administrations, each with their own politics and funding. What is
important and feasible to one might be neither to another. If the latter
administration is in the handling path for a message, then it will not have
implemented the necessary control mechanism. Worse, it well might not be
possible to change this. FOR EXAMPLE A PROPOSAL THAT REQUIRES A BRAND NEW
MAIL SERVICE IS NOT LIKELY TO GAIN MUCH TRACTION.
By contrast, some "edge" mechanisms provide utility to the first one, two
or three adopters who interact with each other. No one else is needed for
the adopters to gain some benefit. Each additional adopter makes the total
system incrementally more useful. For example a filter can be useful to the
first recipient to adopt it. A consent mechanism can be useful to the first
two or three adopters, depending upon the design of the mechanism."
-----snip----
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