Re: DNSO Archive Problem? Was: Re: [ga] Proposals received forNominations for the election of a Chair to the GA

[John C Klensin <klensin@mci.net>]

--On Sunday, 21 November, 1999 16:33 -0800 Jeff Williams
<jwkckid1@ix.netcom.com> wrote:

> John and all,
> 
>    The problem is not I repeat NOT in Dennis's Client mail
>    software. IF, the MCI Product group, as you stated here
> John is TELLING it's clients that it MUST use Outlook Express
> (Microsoft Product), It should not be.  This is locking in
> it's clients to one mailer software
> for E-mail.  That is bad form.

Jeff,

Get a life.  

When I'm trying to understand or straighten out an apparent
internet problem, I tend to write quickly and informally.
I've done that for years and it tends to get problems
(regardless of origin) solved more rapidly than trying to scan
every word to see how it can be twisted.  I don't intend to let
you, or anyone else, force me to become paranoid enough to
change that writing style and cut my productivity to zero.

"MUST" is your insertion.  Like substantially every other ISP in
the universe, MCI WorldCom recommends (or provides) particular
software to its customers.  This is done largely on the basis of
customer support: as someone who allegedly runs a company, you
presumably have noticed that trying to support every product in
the world is economically and technically implausible.
Ultimately, I/we don't care what email software Dennis (or any
other customer) uses as long as it is reasonably
standards-conforming.  But, it he (or any other customer)
expects to call customer support with a technical problem, they
will normally ask if he is using something from the approved
(supported) list (which might well be limited to a single
package).  And, if he isn't, he will be "told" to get something
from that list or to get his support elsewhere.

You may consider that bad form; where I come from, it is
considered a sound business practice, since the other option of
providing technical support for anything that might come along
is untenable.

Beyond that, we use different relay machines for mail
originating internally rather than externally, and you
apprarently have a lot to learn about reading and interpreting
mail headers.

   john