Hear hear. I like to use the 2nd and 3rd law of thermodynamics. Chaos and
Equilibrium are natural elements of adaptation process. Why we are trying
to adapt to the "spammer-like" behavior seems like a lost direction when we
should be focusing simply on enforcing smtp compliancy. Legitimate systems
will adapt. MUA software vendors will adapt. Silly Postcard sites will
adapt. We don't have to worry about them. The only people that will not
complain about their new "chaos" are the spammers themselves and people who
could care less what goes thru their system anyway. The latter are the ones
who will be complaining the most. Sure, the "legitimate spammers" will
adapt but isn't that what we want? Accountability, tracking and auditing?
--
Hector Santos, Santronics Software, Inc.
http://www.santronics.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gordon Fecyk" <gordonf(_at_)pan-am(_dot_)ca>
To: "IETF MXCOMP (E-mail)" <ietf-mxcomp(_at_)imc(_dot_)org>
Sent: Saturday, March 27, 2004 2:50 PM
Subject: Ruminations
This might be obvious to some but I still wanted a feel for opinions on
it.
There might not be complete coherence, but these are just ruminations.
We're deliberately creating glitches in The Matrix here, to borrow from
said
movie, to slow down or stop those who take unfair advantage of it. No
matter
what we come up with here, it seems agreeable that we have to change the
SMTP
system to introduce accountability and end forging. Some of those changes
are going to break some functionality that a minority of users rely on,
and I
see a lot of arguing over what should be broken and what should not.
A breakage deemed acceptable by some is blasphemous, in the most religious
sense, to others. We need to come to a consensus as to what should be
broken
and what should not before we can proceed[1]. Patrik said this, Ted said
this, Dave said this.
Marshall's starting to bring us to that consensus by asking what
identities
we should addresses. Even this comparably simple question's sparked
unproductive debate and confusion.
As I see it, the answers as to what should be broken and what should not
are
already being decided by the users. To borrow from The Matrix again,
Agent
Meng[tm] is spreading. So's Agent Bill[tm]. Soon they will spread beyond
our control until it's just the two of them. They, and the users they've
infected, er, convinced, will decide for us, ultimately.
Yet even with that, there will be enterprising folks who see the new
blocks
in the system and find clever ways around them. Greeting card sites will
not
stop just because We[tm] or They[tm] say they have to put certain bits of
information in their e-mail. They will just find another way to work
within
the modified system. Even spammers, virus writers and their ilk will find
new ways to work within the system. Human beings are pretty clever, after
all.
And if WE are clever, we'll find a way to make them (the spammers and
their
ilk) adapt in a direction we can control.[2]
[1] And then we need to ignore the religious fanatics lest they interfere
with that consensus, but that's another problem.
[2] Gee, I feel so like The Matrix's Architect. Insert The X-Files or
Twilight Zone theme here.
--
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GOD BLESS AMER, er, THE INTERNET.
<http://vmyths.com/rant.cfm?id=401&page=4>