From: Paul Robinson <[log in to unmask]>
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA
-----
> > In article <[log in to unmask]>,
> > Scott Ophof  <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > Talk about a nice loop...  :-(
> > Seems to result in a msg being posted to all PC-REXX
> > subscribers about every 5 minutes or so. The address
> > <[log in to unmask]> does not respond; it bounces as "does
> > not exist" or something to that effect. This repeated posting
> > has been going on since early Saturday at least.
 
Well, what is happening is that the mailer on MCI sends messages back to
the 'Reply-To: ' address, telling it that the address it was sent to is
wrong, usually because the recpient has discontinued their account without
telling the system about it.
 
The answer is to QUIET SERVE OFF the mail server so that it will not post
its messages to the list.  This would eliminate the problem as far as
that; then remove whoever didn't sign off; this will get rid of the bounces.
 
> I would encourage you to remove all mcimail.com users from any
> mailing list, with an explanatory note to the user.  Refuse any
> mailing list additions mcimail.com until they fix their gateway.
> It seems the only recourse is social pressure.  (After reasonable
> attmpts to contact the person in charge)
 
Now wait just a goddamn minute here!  This is a stupid and wrongheaded
idea; that says that because the gateway works wrong, we're going to
punish everyone who is on MCI Mail because of the people who drop accounts
without having the courtesy of doing a SIGNOFF * (NETWIDE.  This is a
cruel and vicious attitude, on the order of cutting off someone's head to
cure lip cancer.
 
And this also means the list owner is supposed to police the mailing list and
after someone spends money to issue a SUBSCRIBE request, then is accepted,
then the list owner tells them that they are going to be removed as
prejudice against the site they use.  Not because they are doing anything
wrong, or have caused problems to the list, but because the site they are on
someday MIGHT have a problem?
 
If you have a problem, complain to [log in to unmask]; do
not punish the readers or potential readers of a list because of the sins
of the operator of the site.  Would you like it if someone decided because
they don't like Penn State's Football team, to deny access to any list at
Penn State?  It's almost the same thing; the users are being punished for
something they have no control over.
 
---
Note: All mail is read/responded every day.  If a message is sent to this
account, and you expect a reply, if one is not received within 24 hours,
resend your message; some systems do not send mail to MCI Mail correctly.
 
Paul Robinson - [log in to unmask]
Voted "Largest Polluter of the (IETF) list" by Randy Bush <[log in to unmask]>
-----
The following Automatic Fortune Cookie was selected only for this message:
 
NEWS FLASH!!
        Today the East German pole-vault champion became the West
        German pole-vault champion.