Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!mailrus!umix!oxtrap!b-tech!zeeff
From: zeeff@b-tech.UUCP (Jon Zeeff)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.uucp
Subject: Re: using Path: for mail replies
Message-ID: <4720@b-tech.UUCP>
Date: 21 Aug 88 16:16:59 GMT
References: <676@bacchus.DEC.COM> <881@vsi1.UUCP> <10135@e.ms.uky.edu> <60@minya.UUCP> <8528@swan.ulowell.edu> <879@ncrcan.Toronto.NCR.COM> <63@volition.dec.com>
Reply-To: zeeff@b-tech.UUCP (Jon Zeeff)
Organization: Branch Technology Ann Arbor, MI
Lines: 31

In article <63@volition.dec.com> vixie@decwrl.dec.com (Paul Vixie) writes:
>
>"Path:" lines should be changed in the next release of B/C/TMN News, so
>that they don't look so much like UUCP bang-paths.  People get the mistaken
>impression that these are useful ways to get mail back to the sender of
>an article.  In fact, it often works.

You contradicted yourself :-).  For sites that keep the uucp maps,
a good procedure is:

1) Look at the From: line address.  If it's in the maps or is a domain
name, use it.

2) If #1 fails, use the Path: line, but actively reroute it. 

This method sometimes works where the From: address fails because 
someone hasn't sent in a map entry (and believe me, you will never get 
everyone to do this).  

Sites that don't keep the maps should just use the From: line and punt to
a smarter site.

I'd leave the Path: format alone, but I would provide new versions of 
news with a simple way of creating From: lines of the format 
"user%sourcesite@registered.site".  Just using sourcesite.uucp doesn't 
help for sites that haven't sent in a map entry.  



-- 
Jon Zeeff           		Branch Technology,
uunet!umix!b-tech!zeeff  	zeeff%b-tech.uucp@umix.cc.umich.edu