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Re: [Asrg] SMTP AUTH

2004-12-07 23:41:10
Well, if we keep working to make SMTP mail unusable by more people,
more people might be FORCED into using Web mail, more often.  I
don't think that's a very bright thing to do, in part because Web
mail (just as accessing ANY Web sites)

I realize what's wrong with this argument.  In the early days of
cybercafes and Internet access at places like airports, the cafe or
airport always provided a computer since the computers of the time
were large enough and expensive enough that few people lugged their
own computers around.  Furthermore, getting your computer hooked into
someone else's network was a pain and usually involved some black art
manual configuration.

But now, everyone brings his own computer.  Laptops are cheap, and for
the most part network connections are self-configuring.  Around here,
one of the ISPs has lots of public hotspots, all of which are no more
than a WiFi access point.

While that's true for some folks, it is CLEARLY not universally true.  

First of all, it is categorically **NOT** true that "everyone brings his own 
computer".  Public libraries, schools, cruise ships, and many other public 
access points use kiosks or regular PCs to provide public Internet access.

There ARE nowadays SOME cruise ships which ALSO offer "hot spots" for those who 
do bring along their portable computers, but I'm not aware of ANY cruise ships 
which presume that ALL passengers will bring their computer along... EVERY 
passenger ship I'm aware of which offers public Internet access also supplies 
the computers (at least as an alternative) for that purpose.

This makes the port 25 issue much less important, since if you have
your own computer, you have a lot of reasonable options.  You can send
mail using port 587.  You can tunnel back to your home network and use
port 25 through the tunnel.  (That's what I do, using ssh to provide
the tunnel.)

And this whole thing is TYPICAL of those who try to DENY that there is a 
problem 
with this whole stupid SPF nonsense... by simple denial.  "Oh, that doesn't 
matter... I have my own computer, and the places I go offer hotspots, so you 
can 
send mail other than through the publicly provided mail server."  Fine for such 
people, but that is BY NO MEANS universal.  

How many people really send mail from public places using someone else's
computer?  Not many that I've seen.

I suggest that you open your eyes a little bit.

For starters, go to your nearest public library and tell me that they don't 
have 
normal PCs there for their public Internet access.  Try to find a cruise ship 
(that DOES offer public Internet access onboard) that doesn't have PCs onboard 
for the passengers to use for sending their E-mail.  

I guess some people figure that the users that don't cart around their own 
computers everywhere somehow just don't matter, or something.  

But that's part of why their approaches to solving this problem tend to be SO 
incredibly misguided and wrong-headed, too.  They simply prefer to ignore those 
people whose needs and requirements aren't the same as THEIRS are.

-- 
John R. Levine, IECC, POB 727, Trumansburg NY 14886 +1 607 330 5711
johnl(_at_)iecc(_dot_)com, Mayor, http://johnlevine.com, 
Member, Provisional board, Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail

Gordon Peterson                  http://personal.terabites.com/
1977-2002  Twenty-fifth anniversary year of Local Area Networking!
Support free and fair US elections!  http://stickers.defend-democracy.org
12/19/98: Partisan Republicans scornfully ignore the voters they "represent".
12/09/00: the date the Republican Party took down democracy in America.



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