Fw: [plug][protocol] no attachments please

[Bernard Blackham]

On Fri, Aug 23, 2002 at 11:01:26AM +0800, wayne wrote:

> ....but on 20/8/2002, Tony had said:
> >> We don't write our messages and then forward them as
> >> attachments. They're just signed.

Ummm, no. I said that. 

> 
> ....to which, Wayne had replied:
> > Can't understand why in a club.

Observe, one of the messages in the thread appeared to have my name on
it, yet it was not even written by me. That was simply to demonstrate is
absolutely trivial to spoof the From: line in a mail message. Spoofing a
valid signature is _much_ more difficult a task.

> ....and Tony had also written:
> > And everybody just replied to the list!? It would've been far more
> > sensible to ask Colin to put up a poll on the PLUG site, than invite
> > another 20 messages into the thread.

I said that too, not Tony.

> ....to which Wayne had (quite properly he thought) asked/suggested:
> > I want to hear all the proper arguments for using attachments,
> > not just  "rah, rah, rah; no change".

To which I replied to you *offlist* :

I think we'd all heard the arguments for and against. The
signal-to-noise ratio plummeted to new depths today, and we
more than likely lost a few subscribers in the process.

> So I think this current poll is flawed.  It has no option for allowing
> attachments only for NECESSARY purpose - limited by senders' sensibility.
> Or allowing requesting attachments via another form (eg webpost, alternate
> list, etc. I don't know what other technical means might be sensibly used?)
> Too much to ask?  Or shouldn't I ask?

If you want to allow attachments only for "NECESSARY purpose" then just
ask the list nicely. To administer that subjectively will just be a
pain.  The options on the poll were technically feasible. I still think
it's a bad idea(tm) to run the poll on the list itself.

IMHO attachments larger than 30KB do not have a "NECESSARY purpose" on
the list - the technical means around this being to put it on a website
(c'mon, everybody has or can get webspace!) or email somebody who
expresses interest, in private.

Another 2c of bandwidth chewed yet again,

Bernard.