On 1 Feb 2004, James Craig Burley wrote:
You might not be aware of this, but the model you want to get *away*
from is the one used by TCP/IP to transmit packets from host to host.
It is true that underlying layer works this way, but most TCP based
services on top of that layer do not.
Put another way, let's say you created a hypothetical email system
(call it dmail, for "direct mail") that provided for no
store-and-forward mechanism at all -- just direct connection from
originating client to receiving client, which is the "simplest" model
along the lines you're proposing
We alrady have this kind of mail system. Its called INSTANT MESSAGING and
we have IETF standards for this system as well as multiple systems of
their own design all operating on the net and quite popular. Taking a
close look at some of the designs for XMPP protocol is good idea when
trying to design replacement for SMTP, I'm not certain we actually want
to design something that parallels that, as in such case it would be
better to simply extend XMPP
I don't know much about IM, aside from that it's popular and such.
(Keep in mind I was proposing a *hypothetical* design, to illustrate
the problems with someone else's requirements.)
There were people on the im2000 list who were talking about XMPP being
a good starting-point. Offhand I'd say it's definitely worth
investigating.
--
James Craig Burley
Software Craftsperson
<http://www.jcb-sc.com>
--Fix qmail's qmail-smtpd so it doesn't crash on a big header line:--
<http://www.qmail.org/netqmail/>