Unnamed Administration sources reported that Al Rowland said:
Don't even need that. I can telnet into the appropriate server/port from a command prompt but, like your solution below, that is not non-geek friendly. We need a solution that is AOL user friendly, not NANOG user friendly if we ever expect to make money with this thing called the Internet. This will always be tragedy-of-the-commons; the very things that make service attractive for Joe PayingCustomer also make it easy for Joe Spammer/Hax0r.
I'm not disagreeing re: a Jill Winecooler solution being needed. And I really wish mail over TLS/SSL/XYZ was straightforward; I'm finding it anything but. Here is a pipedream I'd like you gurus to grade. Could there be a cgi-script on a page that would test all|selected POP/IMAP/SMTP ISP mailer ports for secure compatablility, and report back? I think this could all be done pre-login, i.e. without a password being exposed. True? Could it probe and report back as to success/failure of modes? For example, some installations will NOT work with Eudora until you force it into V3 with "SSLSendVersion=6" in the ini. If told so, most customers could use their: <x-eudora-option:SSLReceiveVersion=6> <x-eudora-option:SSLSendVersion=6> pseudo-URL to set same. What say you all? Would this work, and thus help grease the secure mail skids? [Remember, I'm a hardware-type whose favorite language is solder. I'm sure this is obvious/trivial/noise to many of you....] -- A host is a host from coast to coast.................wb8foz@nrk.com & no one will talk to a host that's close........[v].(301) 56-LINUX Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433 is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433