Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!rutgers!apple!bloom-beacon!bu-cs!purdue!decwrl!vixie
From: vixie@decwrl.dec.com (Paul Vixie)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.uucp
Subject: Re: active rerouting
Message-ID: <805@bacchus.dec.com>
Date: 25 Sep 88 13:58:29 GMT
References: <4740@b-tech.UUCP> <4747@b-tech.UUCP> <4748@b-tech.UUCP> <6581@chinet.UUCP> <2105@edsews.EDS.COM> <12604@ncoast.UUCP>
Sender: vixie@decwrl.dec.com
Organization: DEC Western Research Lab
Lines: 20

Branden, you and I almost always agree in this group.  So consider this a small
nit brought up by a copatriot:

# UUCP sites give "!" precedence, Internet domain mailers give "@" precedence.

The terminology is confusing.  Vixie.sf.ca.us is a "UUCP site" if you mean
that all my connections to the world are over UUCP links.  However, I run
smail and sendmail there, and I definitely give "@" a higher precedence
than "!".  In fact, by virtue of my dotted name, I can be considered to be
"on the internet", though I am not "directly connected to the internet".

So, okay, this is a minor nit.  But terminology is often learned in context,
and apparently a large number of novices read this group.  I'd like to get
them started out on the right foot.  Cf. my recent "crucial distinction"
article, wherein I lament that people defend "rerouting" without knowing
what parts of it they are actually depending on.
-- 
Paul Vixie
Work:    vixie@decwrl.dec.com    decwrl!vixie    +1 415 853 6600
Play:    paul@vixie.sf.ca.us     vixie!paul      +1 415 864 7013