The last couple days we've been seeing wholesale HOTMAIL error
e-mail bounces with a 5.0.0 code (should be syntax error if I read
the docs right).  This is a bit different than the previous 554 error
in that it occurs AFTER the e-mail has been accepted by HOTMAIL.
Below is an example.

   The ironic thing is that one listowner is a hotmail user herself
and got the error message back ok (via owner-listname) but the mail
to the hotmail subscribers was rejected!  She claimed she'd tried
a couple times and got bounces but I'm not sure of the sequence.

   I was told before (9/27/02) by Hotmail escalation that the
554 was their problem (I think they were running out of threads
or something on their servers).  But again, this seems a bit
different in that the rejection is coming after the e-mail has
been accepted from LISTSERV(tm).

   What I am concerned about is that HOTMAIL has set some sort
of arbitrary limit within their system that is not enforced
coming in (e.g. number of RCPT TOs).  That seems dumb because
if we lowered the max number of RCPT TOs it would just mean more
e-mail they'd have to handle.

   I'm about to try calling them again on this but wondered if
any of you had noticed this trend in the last few days and had
an answer.  But maybe this is their error of the week.  After
the spate of 554s I seem to recall they changed to something else
for a while.

   Thanks.  Marty

...
>From: [log in to unmask]
>To: [log in to unmask]
...
>--9B095B5ADSN=_01C2717286D0D7720036C1A9mc4?s8.law16.hot
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=unicode-1-1-utf-7
>
>This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification.
>
>Delivery to the following recipients failed.
>
>        [log in to unmask]
>        [log in to unmask]
... about 20 more...
>
>
>
>--9B095B5ADSN=_01C2717286D0D7720036C1A9mc4?s8.law16.hot
>Content-Type: message/delivery-status
>
>Reporting-MTA: dns;mc4-s8.law16.hotmail.com
>Received-From-MTA: dns;mc4-f39.law16.hotmail.com
>Arrival-Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2002 20:13:07 -0700
>
>Original-Recipient:
>Final-Recipient: rfc822;[log in to unmask]
>Action: failed
>Status: 5.0.0
>
>Original-Recipient:
>Final-Recipient: rfc822;[log in to unmask]
>Action: failed
>Status: 5.0.0
>
... about 20 more...
...