-----Original Message-----
From: owner-spf-discuss(_at_)v2(_dot_)listbox(_dot_)com
[mailto:owner-spf-discuss(_at_)v2(_dot_)listbox(_dot_)com]On Behalf Of
Jonathan C. Detert
Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 9:28 AM
To: spf-discuss(_at_)v2(_dot_)listbox(_dot_)com
Subject: [spf-discuss] question about 'mechanism prefix' softfail and
neutral
As you know, the mechanisms can be prefixed with 1 of 4 characters:
- : meaning, fail
~ : meaning, 'softfail'
+ : meaning, pass (the default)
? : meaning, 'neutral'
The meaning of fail and pass is obvious, but what do 'softfail' and
'neutral' mean? What will the MTA do if the result of the spf query is
'softfail'? What will the MTA do if the result is 'neutral' ?
Softfail and what to do with it has been the subject of a lot of debate.
Neutral, on the other hand, should be easy (I think). The SPF classic spec
says:
Neutral (?): The SPF client MUST proceed as if a domain did not
publish SPF data.
All it means is I don't know, keep on doing what you were doing before there
was SPF.
As someone else mentioned, I use Neutral (?) in my SPF record on any shared
MTA that potentially allows other customers of the ISP/web host to forge my
domain name (which is pretty much all of them now AFAICT).
Scott Kitterman