What's the de facto standard for the use of the "Sender:" header?
I'm asking because Majordomo 1.94.4 sets the "Sender:" and the envelope
address to the same value as set in the list configuration file (typically
owner-listname@domain.com). I thought nothing of this until I was made
aware that Outlook (not Outlook Express) reports that the message is
from the field in the Sender: header when you open an email message in
a separate window (i.e., double-clicking on the summary line).
Some list members fine it confusing to see what normally is a
"behind-the-scenes" email address. I was ready to think that Microsoft
was displaying an inappropriate header and making my life difficult,
but in the RFC's, I found (using the useful informational RFC
http://www.dsv.su.se/~jpalme/ietf/mail-headers/mail-headers.html ):
RFC822, 4.2.2
This field contains the authenticated identity of the AGENT
(person, system or process) that sends the message.
[...]
Since the critical function served by the "Sender" field is
identification of the agent responsible for sending mail and
since computer programs cannot be held accountable for their
behavior, it is strongly recommended that when a computer pro-
gram generates a message, the HUMAN who is responsible for
that program be referenced as part of the "Sender" field mail-
box specification.
RFC1036, 2.2.2
This field is present only if the submitter manually enters a "From"
line. It is intended to record the entity responsible for
submitting the message to the network. It should be verified by the
software at the submitting host.
I'm guessing that Mj probably interpreted the MLM to be the AGENT, and I
know that the owner-listname address is supposed to be a human, so the
defaults for Mj are reasonable. However, I've been trying to change
the envelope address to something like "bounces-listname@domain.com" as a
way to filter out NDN's and auto-unsubscribe the invalid addresses while
maintaining owner-listname as a way to reach a person. Unfortunately,
this had the effect of changing the "Sender" as well and producing a
less palatable displayed address in Outlook.
The other stipulations for the "Sender" field seem to indicate that the
originating email address would be equally appropriate, as this would
satisfy the condition of being a HUMAN and the entity that submitted
the message to the network.
Thus, I'm wondering if there are any real consequences to modifying Mj
to exclude the "Sender" or to use the "From:" address. Any opinions?
Omar
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