Re: finally, an example

[Bart Schaefer <[e-mail]>]

On Aug 3,  8:20pm, D. J. Bernstein wrote:
} Subject: finally, an example
}
} > Suppose I
} > send a message with "schaefer+party-4-july" in the From field local-part.
} > Now I can filter the responses on "party-4-july".  But in order to do
} > that, I had to know that "+" is a separator and "-" is not.
} 
} Apparently the sysadmin has told you that you can receive e-mail at
} schaefer+*. So you type ``schaefer+party-4-july'' into your MUA.
} 
} If he says schaefer-*, you type ``schaefer-party-4-july'' instead.

It's not "schaefer+*" and "schaefer-*".  I told you the specifics are
not relevant.  If you really think its worthwile to pursue this, take
it as "schaefer+[^+]*" on one ISP, and "schaefer-[^-+]*" on another.

} Or, given appropriate MUA support, you type the ``schaefer+'' or
} ``schaefer-'' exactly once; then you type exactly the same
} ``party-4-july'' either way.

If the intended destination for replies is the first ISP, I have to type
"+party-4-july".  If the second, I have to type "-party_4_july" or some
other permutation.

The reason for wanting different reply destinations is irrelevant.

} I don't see the inconvenience here. This all looks very straightforward.
} How else would you expect this example to work?

It'd be much easier if both ISPs accepted one format or the other (I don't
care which) and if any more ISPs that I might encounter would also use the
same format.  Why is that so difficult to comprehend?

-- 
Bart Schaefer                                 Brass Lantern Enterprises
http://www.well.com/user/barts              http://www.brasslantern.com