Re: SMTP compared to IM (Re: DNS Choices: Was: [ietf-dkim] Re: Last Call: 'DomainKeys)

[Dave Crocker <dhc2 at dcrocker.net>]

Harald Alvestrand wrote:
> > There were no alternatives to SMTP on an IP network until
> > Instant Messaging came along.
>
> not since X.400 over X.25 died, no. I thought you were older than that....

And there were all of the individual providers that Michael cited, such as MCI 
Mail.


>>> but can be seen in IM, and may likely show up in other forms of
>>> communication.  Much of this is simply the nature of software.
>>
>> It has nothing to do with software and everything to do
>> with architecture. IM networks have less problems because
>> all the participants share a relationship with the IM
>> service providers.

It *is* interesting that the diversity of disconnected email services was viewed 
as a basic problem to solve, whereas most of the Internet user community does 
not seem to feel the same pressure to unify IM.

Hmmm.  Maybe IM satisfies a different set of needs than does email.  So we had 
better be a bit cautious about trying to generalize implications between them.


d/
--

  Dave Crocker
  Brandenburg InternetWorking
  bbiw.net

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