From: hardie(_at_)equinix(_dot_)com
Please point to an example of a useful multipart message seen in
this list or that might someday be useful in this mailing list.
Example:
A multipart/signed message containing a pgp signature known to
some/all members of this list. As, for example, the ietf registrar pgp
signature (see http://www.ietf.org/ietf-registrar.asc).
I'm not sure that is an example of a useful multipart message in this
or other plausible open international mailing lists.
- Messages from the IESG or other parts of the IETF bureaucracy that
should reasonable be signed seems unlikely to be sent to this list.
- I don't recall seeing that signature block in this list, and since
I use a primitive MUA with very primitive MIME support normally
turned off, I think I would have noticed.
However, now that you remind me of the IESG's traffic, I think much
of the IETF announcement list is multi-part. Strangely, especially
after this morning's burst, I don't have a sample handy to check.
- Semi-private messages should not be sent to public, international lists.
- Because signed messages are rare in public, signing is not much
good in public lists. If signed messages did become common that
would change. (There are reasons why I doubt they will become common,
but let's not argue that now.)
- http://www.ietf.org/ietf-registrar.asc is an awful lot of bits.
That's not a consideration in some quarters, but few if any
that I respect.
However, assume for the sake of argument that signature blocks are
reasonble. Can you suggest a sendmail pattern that would exclude
other than signature blocks? Perhaps the following?
HContent-Type: $>+Check_CT
SCheck_CT
R$*multipart$*application/pgp-signature$* $@ OK
R$*multipart$* $#error $: 553 reject multi-part junk
Vernon Schryver vjs(_at_)rhyolite(_dot_)com