Possible solution? (e-mail parcel vs. FTP)

Sat May 26 17:00:23 UTC 2001

[ On Saturday, May 26, 2001 at 11:51:39 (-0400), Matt Martini wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: Possible solution? (e-mail parcel vs. FTP)
>
> If ISPs took it upon themselves to convert attachments to http/ftp
> on-the-fly and transparently to users you would have a sol'n that should
> work for everyone.

It's not the ISP's duty to solve the problem -- just to force the
solution.  ISPs need only reduce the maximum message size to "what even
an extraordinary human could type in one sitting" and the rest of the
software world will respond with multitudes of solutions in the MUA.

After all the main part of the solution can only realistically be
implemented in the MUA.  The ISP need only provide the HTTP (or FTP)
server in addition to the incentive.

> For those of us that want to change the world, it's much easier to take
> action and change the system then to try and convert all the users.

Exactly!

Note too that we can hope that most of the idiots who like to send huge
e-mail messages will also be enthralled by small devices like PDAs and
maybe this will help reduce the problem a bit.

-- 
							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>