Re: "Return-Path" vs. "From"

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Article #113

#113

From: John R Ellis
Date: Thu, 09 Feb 1984 20:16

21 lines
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    It can also be argued that your mail reader is faulty for even
    presenting the Return-Path information to the user.  Return-Path is
    in the header only to assist mail transports which don't have the
    concept of out-of-band envelopes.  Since you're on ARPANET, it's
    irrelevant.

If only it were irrelevant.  Unfortunately, we get a fair amount of mail
forwarded from other APRANET hosts (maybe a few messages a week) in which
the From address is unrepliable but for which the Return-Path is correct
(or at least useable).  E.g.

    Return-Path: <joe%NON-ARPA-HOST@HOST.ARPA>
    From:        joe blow <joe@NON-ARPA-HOST>

Sometimes we get mail with no From/Sender/Reply-To at all.

As long as we continue to receive mail in which the 822 text doesn't
contain a correct reply address, it is necessary for users to see the
STMP Return-Path so that they can attempt replies to such mail.
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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!ulysses!burl!hou3c!Ellis@YALE.ARPA

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Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site hou3c.UUCP
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!ulysses!burl!hou3c!Ellis@YALE.ARPA
From: Ellis@YALE.ARPA (John R Ellis)
Newsgroups: net.mail.headers
Subject: Re: "Return-Path" vs. "From"
Message-ID: <249@hou3c.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 9-Feb-84 15:16:25 EST
Article-I.D.: hou3c.249
Posted: Thu Feb  9 15:16:25 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 10-Feb-84 07:21:12 EST
Sender: ka@hou3c.UUCP (Kenneth Almquist)
Lines: 24
To: Mark Crispin <MRC@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Cc: Mishkin@YALE.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Mark Crispin <MRC@SU-SCORE.ARPA>, Thu 9 Feb 84 11:51:55-PST