Newsgroups: comp.mail.sendmail
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!Firewall!genesis!kdenning
From: kdenning@genesis.Naitc.Com (Karl Denninger)
Subject: Re: better return-receipt messages
Message-ID: <1991Jun14.163431.29411@Firewall.Nielsen.Com>
Summary: Yet another reason for smail3 -- the ease of reporting this.
Sender: news@Firewall.Nielsen.Com (Usenet News)
Nntp-Posting-Host: genesis.naitc.com
Organization: AC Nielsen Co., Bannockburn IL
References: <1991Jun13.121110.27660@dartvax.dartmouth.edu> <1991Jun13.143702.14063@mp.cs.niu.edu> <1466@idcapd.idca.tds.philips.nl>
Date: Fri, 14 Jun 91 16:34:31 GMT

In article <1466@idcapd.idca.tds.philips.nl> dejong@idca.tds.PHILIPS.nl (Hans de Jong) writes:
>rickert@mp.cs.niu.edu (Neil Rickert) writes:
>
>>  1.  Users really should not be using 'Return-Receipt-To:'.  It does not
>>      answer the problem of concern to most users.  It is mainly
>>      useful as a debugging tool for email administrators.  When viewed
>>      from this point of view, returning the headers is essential.
>
>What I find to be the real big problem with Return-Receipt-To: is that the
>respons messages do only say from which system they originate, but not
>for which user the message is generated. When sending mail to a single address
>that is no problem, but when sending to more people, the Return-Receipt-To: 
>isn't useful. The same holds by the way for error messages returned by 
>sendmail. If a user us unknown, it will tell which user was unknown, but when
>e.g. the user's program in the .forward crashes, I have found no clue to which
>user this message concerns.
>Or did I overlook something?

I agree.  So I fixed it.  This is what they look like here now....

To: kdenning
From: Postmaster
Subject: Mail delivery confirmation
Status: OR

Your message id <m0joH43-0009CHC@genesis.naitc.com> was delivered successfully.

Delivery address: kdenning@nis.naitc.com (Karl Denninger)
Your subject was: Test return receipt
Date and time   : Fri Jun 14 11:32:02 1991


I think this covers all that you need to know... it tells you that the mail
was DELIVERED (not necessarially read), the address it was delivered to, the
subject and the date and time of delivery (along with the message ID in case
there's a problem).  And it comes from "Postmaster" so if you reply it goes
to someone who can do something about the problem.

Now that I think about it, I should include the timezone in that receipt....
so people know what the "base" is for the time computation.

--
Karl Denninger - AC Nielsen, Bannockburn IL (708) 317-3285
kdenning@nis.naitc.com

"The most dangerous command on any computer is the carriage return."
Disclaimer:  The opinions here are solely mine and may or may not reflect
  	     those of the company.
