Reply-To: <alan(_dot_)stebbens(_at_)Software(_dot_)com>
From: Alan(_dot_)Stebbens(_at_)Software(_dot_)com (Alan Stebbens)
Cc: <ietf-mta-filters(_at_)imc(_dot_)org>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 23:39:35 -0700
I am resending this. I did not receive any response on the previous try,
and there are serious usability issues with the vacation action.
Can someone answer these questions about the VACATION statement:
* does it generate replies to bulk mail? If not, how does it decide not to?
Yes; what's the difference? Users can selectively do vacation
responses, of course, but...
* does it generate replies to "mailer-daemon", "Postmaster", "root", and
other system accounts?
Implementation dependant (as of the next revision).
* does it generate replies to mail with any subject containing the text:
"[vacation]" or "[auto-response]"? If so, why? If not, are these the only
two strings that are recognized as being generated by an email
auto-responder.
Yes, why not?
* does it generate mail not directly addressed to my account? How does it
know what my account is? How can I tell VACATION what my account is (or
are)?
No, read the spec, read the spec, respectively. Text is there and will
be clarified in the revision.
* does it generate responses to mail that I sent myself? If so, couldn't
this start a mail loop? If not, how does it know what my account is or
accounts are?
No, no, implementation-dependant with the provision that the user can
suppply additional addresses. Even if the address checks fail, the loop
is limited by message-id checks.
--
Tim Showalter <tjs+(_at_)andrew(_dot_)cmu(_dot_)edu>