On Thu, 08 May 1997 15:54:20 -0400 "C. Harald Koch"
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>...
> AOL is rejecting the mail at the MAIL From: command when the SENDER contains
> a source route, i.e.
>
>     MAIL From:<@elgreco.border.com:[log in to unmask]>
>
> I have no problem with people being unwilling to act as mail relayers to
> arbitrary domains. I object *strongly* to them *denying* me the ability to
> use mail relayers outside of their administrative purview.

Sorry.  But the bottom line is the same.  You can object
all you like.  If they want to make a business decision to
not let particular messages flow through to their users (on
any basis at all), there is little that the IETF community
--or the sender-- can do about it besides suggest that your
correspondents find a different ISP.

This isn't ultimately a discussion about standards, it is a
discussion about whether AOL has the right to manage their
business as they see fit, even it they see fit to do things
you find obnoxious or I think constitute shooting
themselves in the foot (neither of those may be the case,
they are just examples).    I fear that I think they do --
the alternatives are too horrible to contemplate.

For whatever my biases are worth:

 * You shouldn't be sending out source routes. There really
is no good reason for them.

 * AOL should probably not reject things on the basis of
what is in the envelope sender address unless they have
specific cause.

 * In my time, I've taken a lot of people off of mailing
lists because I got tired of dealing with their email
system and how it was managed.  I usually found a way to
explain to them that, if they found a more reasonable (as
defined exclusively by me) supplier, I'd be happy to put
them back on.  In a few cases, that strategy ultimately
resulted in some fixes being made.   In others,...

     john