ietf-mxcomp
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Re: What semantics are conveyed

2004-03-09 19:46:34

In <20040309192043(_dot_)3CEAD170BB(_at_)mail(_dot_)nitros9(_dot_)org> "Alan 
DeKok" <aland(_at_)ox(_dot_)org> writes:

Ted Hardie <hardie(_at_)qualcomm(_dot_)com> wrote:
I'd say the broad question is "What are the semantics that this record
needs to convey" and the first key question is "What *identity* is it
that needs to be authorized".

  From the LMAP discussion document:

  http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-irtf-asrg-lmap-discussion-00.txt

[snip]

  I believe that the LMAP discussion document would be appropriate as
a WG item, because it summarises many of the issues surrounding the
proposed authorization process.  These issues should be documented as
part of the WG process, but the issues are independent of the
technical specification of the protocols, or the syntax of the
records.  Instead, the document explains in detail why the protocol
choice was made, and it's benefits and limitations.


It has been several months since I last heavily skimmed any of the
LMAP drafts, but tonight I sat down and read it.

I like it.  I think it *does* do a good job of summarizing much of the
discussions that have taken place on various mailing lists (ASRG,
SPF-discuss, SPAM-L, NANAE, etc.)  I think it provides a good common
base for people to work from.  I do *not* agree with all that is said
in it, but most of those points are things that I think that
reasonable people can disagree on.


The one major objection I had to what was said in the LMAP document is
all the vague references to "changing semantics".  I don't see how any
of the LMAP proposals seriously change any semantics, and this phrase
seems to have been latched onto and blown out of proportion by various
people.  (Mostly people I don't recognize being involved discussions
on SPAM-L, NANAE, ASRG, SPF-discuss, etc.)


What the LMAP systems generally do is give the owners of something
(domain name, IP space) a voice.  They can say "I authorize/don't
authorize the following IP addresses to do send email using the domain
I own or IP space I control."  These LMAP proposals then give email
receivers an easy way to listen to what the domain/ip-space owners are
saying.

Giving a voice does not change the semantics of anything.  The HELO
string/MAIL FROM/From:/whatever still means whatever it is that you
think it means.  You many not be able to do everything you used to be
able to do when domain/ip-space owners had no voice, but such is life.


-wayne