isn't "...isn't perfect, but it's something now"

Thu Aug 12 07:17:47 UTC 2004

Folks,

EBD> ...  SPF isn't
EBD> perfect, but it's something now, and IMHO probably better than

This is a very popular view these days.

However there are some fundamental problems with it:

1. It mistakes activity for progress.

2. It ignores opportunity cost, diverting energies to efforts that are
likely to have no effect on spam rather than allocating those resources
to basic improvement in the service.

3. It ignores the difficulties with administration and operation of the
mechanism, as it scales, such as its Procrustean limitation of usage
scenarios that are reasonably supported.

4. It treats a short-term mechanism as if it had long-term benefit; yet
modification of a global infrastructure is always and only subject to
long-term processes.

If SPF is wonderful, it had better satisfy a higher criterion than that
it "isn't perfect, but it's something now".

d/
--
 Dave Crocker <mailto:dcrocker at brandenburg.com>
 Brandenburg InternetWorking <http://www.brandenburg.com>
 Sunnyvale, CA  USA <tel:+1.408.246.8253>, <fax:+1.866.358.5301>