Re: Can we back up a bit and ask some basicquestions?Analternate model

[Paul Hoffman / IMC <phoffman@xxxxxxx>]

At 9:45 AM -0500 2/19/03, Martin Duerst wrote:
> Well, as far as I understand, defining an SMTP service extension
> does not constitute an update to 2821/2822 itself.

It requires an update to 2822 if that extension will change the rules 
for message format.

> > What happens if an
> > intermediate legacy smtp server cannot handle UTF8ADDRESS, and a receiver's
> > MUA cannot handle messages with UTF8HEADER?
>
> In the scenarios we are discussing here, that would be negotiated
> as any other SMTP extension. The only problem may be that there is
> not really a negotiation between the last MTA and the receiving MUA.

That's not a small "only problem". It means that messages might be 
rejected or accepted at different times and therefore the sender will 
not be able to predict whether or not he can send a message. Note 
that this problem manifests not only for To: addresses, but also 
From: and Cc: addresses (and probably others...). You can't predict 
whether or not your inclusion of your own IMAA in the From: field or 
the Cc: field will cause a message to be bounced.

--Paul Hoffman, Director
--Internet Mail Consortium