Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site decwrl.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-mrvax!ddb From: ddb@mrvax.DEC Newsgroups: net.unix Subject: Automatic mail answerers Message-ID: <3051@decwrl.UUCP> Date: Tue, 9-Jul-85 14:17:58 EDT Article-I.D.: decwrl.3051 Posted: Tue Jul 9 14:17:58 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 11-Jul-85 07:37:38 EDT Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP Organization: DEC Engineering Network Lines: 13 An even more amusing situation can occur when a person sends mail to somebody to say he is going out of town, then sets up his own answering maching -- if the other person already had an answerer set up! The infinite loop can be avoided if automatic mail answerers are coded to keep track of who they have already sent to, and send no more than once to a given address. This is implemented in the (otherwise despicable) VMS mail system, and has saved a lot of trouble. (This by itself will also prevent SOME of the deluge to moderators, but the individual- and site-specific don't-reply-to lists that Lauren suggests will do it better.)