Who is at fault in the following problem?
 
1. MAILER because it mishandled valid BSMTP?
2. LISTSERV because it generated invalid BSMTP?
3. LISTSERV because it accepted a subscription that it could not service?
4. The user for requesting an impossible subscription?
 
I am asking about the "Mailbox syntax error", which I assume is due to
the missing ">" at the end of the address, not the X.400-ish contents
of the local-part, which uunet.uu.net and/or munnari may or may not be
able to handle.
 
--------------------error message from MAILER------------------
 
Subject: mail delivery error
 
Batch SMTP transaction log follows:
 
220 RICEVM1.RICE.EDU Columbia MAILER R2.04 BSMTP service ready.
050 HELO RICEVM1
250 RICEVM1.RICE.EDU Hello RICEVM1
050 MAIL FROM:<INFO-MAC@RICEVM1>
250 <INFO-MAC@RICEVM1>... sender OK.
050 RCPT TO:<[log in to unmask]>
250 <[log in to unmask]>... recipient OK.
...many valid addresses omitted...
050 RCPT TO:<[log in to unmask]>
250 <[log in to unmask]>... recipient OK.
050-RCPT TO:<[log in to unmask]
050 U.NE
553 Mailbox syntax error.
050 RCPT TO:<[log in to unmask]>
500 Command ignored due to a previous error.
...several ignored commands omitted...
050 RCPT TO:<[log in to unmask]>
500 Command ignored due to a previous error.
050 DATA
354 Start mail input.  End with <crlf>.<crlf>
451 Request aborted: command out of sequence
050 QUIT
221 RICEVM1.RICE.EDU Columbia MAILER BSMTP service done.
 
Original message follows:
 
 Received: from RICEVM1 by RICEVM1.RICE.EDU (Mailer R2.04) with BSMTP id 6167;
  Mon, 04 Dec 89 21:33:54 CST
 Date:         Mon, 4 Dec 89 19:28:39 PST
 Reply-To:     [log in to unmask]
 Sender:       INFO-MAC Digest <INFO-MAC@RICEVM1>
 From:         The Moderators <[log in to unmask]>
 Subject:      Info-Mac Digest V7 #214
 Comments: To: [log in to unmask]
 To:           Multiple recipients of list INFO-MAC <INFO-MAC@RICEVM1>
 
...text deleted...