AOL now rejecting mail from Comcast residential IPs.

[Bob Bell]

On Mon, Mar 31, 2003 at 12:37:49AM -0600, Thomas Charron <tcharron at ductape.net> wrote:
> Oh my GOD man.  They rejected your SMTP email.  Shesh.  Since the protocol has 
> no built in method of authentication, this is the best they can do.  You can 
> either eat spam, or do something like this.  Period.

Well, there is SMTP AUTH.  However, SMTP AUTH only authenicates a user
to a local SMTP server.  It is not the global PGP authentication
suggested in another email.  AOL's moves makes me wonder if they would
like a model where either computer is authenicated to a "trusted" SMTP
server, and only trusted SMTP servers can exchange mail.  That's close
to what they are doing -- they don't "trust" your residentially-based
dynamic-IP-addressed SMTP server (or client, if you will), but they are
willing to take mail from Comcast's server.

Anyway, just a quick comment.  I'm not taking sides in this one. :-)
Actually, I'm finding the debate quite interesting.

-- 
Bob Bell <bobbell at zk3.dec.com>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 "The box said "Requires Windows 95 or better."  I can't understand
  why it won't work on my Linux computer."
   -- Humorix (http://i-want-a-website.com/about-linux/)