Message from Joe Clark [06:44 99-02-20 ]:

>>> The point is that Listserv should know to stop comparing two messages
>>> after the "--" point.

>> In that case there is NO oficial standard and Listserv should not
>> try to guess what can be a signature, IMHO.

> It is widely followed. Listserv's filtering such messages, even if
> they are x% of the total, is better than some listmanager nabob's
> throwing up his hands and dismissing the whole concept because it is
> not formally enforced, as if anything really *is* in a world with
> Outlook Express, GroupWise, WebTV, AOL, a million Web-based-E-mail
> programs, and other nonstandard snatchmail software all running amok.

I do not agree. Either something is an official standard, or it is not.

"Widely followed" means almost nothing - or, in best case, it means
that something is often used in the USA.

Listserv - unless it is able to _understand_ the contents of a mail -
must quite often throw up its hands. It is better than trying to be
smart and cause irritation and frustration. Listserv must let through
even badly formatted messages with improper indentation, with bad
grammar, with obviously false statements, wrongly placed commas,
semicolons, etc.

Kind regards
mjw