EMAIL != FTP

Fri May 25 18:01:19 UTC 2001

[ On Friday, May 25, 2001 at 11:22:15 (-0400), deeann mikula wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: EMAIL != FTP
>
> unfortunately, i have accepted the fact that there is no stopping
> customers from emailing 10MB (and larger!) files, they can just go to
> our competition if we prevent it.

Let's inject some semi-operational content into this thread.

Number 1:  You *want* the idiots who mail large files to go to the
competition!

> i bitch, moan, and insist that the front line kids give the "email !=
> FTP speech," but we continue to permit it.  *sigh*

Number 2:  Do something about it!  I regularly configure mail servers to
a maximum of 4MB, and usually to just 100KB.  Anyone who "complains" is
told to upload their file to the web server and e-mail the URL.  The
complainant usually then says "Heh!  Why didn't I think of that?!?!?",
and if your front-line tech support people are really good they won't
laugh back at the customer (at least not while he or she is still on the
line  ;-).

> unless we go back in time and re-do the protocols, and re-educate
> newbies before setting them lose on the 'net, i don't think that we
> are going to stop people from emailing what should be FTP'd.

If you make it impossible for them to e-mail large files (except by
breaking them down into a gazzillion little e-mails) then you'll be well
past the gate and all smart people will be stampeeding to use your HTTP
and FTP servers for what they're meant for!  (The not-so smart ones will
need to be told once to do that, and if you're lucky the idiots will
immediately switch to your competition and drive them into the ground by
clogging their mail servers *and* their tech support lines.)

-- 
							Greg A. Woods

+1 416 218-0098      VE3TCP      <gwoods at acm.org>     <woods at robohack.ca>
Planix, Inc. <woods at planix.com>;   Secrets of the Weird <woods at weird.com>