Re: Lazy network operators

[Michael.Dillon () radianz com]

> Paul, let me add one more to your list: As a community, we have
> been too lazy to take hold of the architectural source of the
> problem, which is the complete lack of accountability over the
> ability to post email.

Hear, hear.

> Of course, this breaks the end-to-end model of the Internet...
> Too bad.  End-to-end makes sense in some contexts, and it doesn't
> in others.   This is the latter case.

John, I don't believe that it is necessary to break the
end-to-end model of the Internet in order to implement
accountability for posting email. Rather than filtering
port 25 at the user ISP, every ISP who operates an 
SMTP server could simply get off their butt and stop
accepting connections from anyone that they don't know.
In the case of a user ISP, they know all their own
customers. And they should know a significant number
of their email peers. If people can make arrangments 
for NNTP peering or BGP peering rather than opening
it to all comers, why can't we do the same for SMTP?
Pure laziness and lack of vision, IMHO.

Michael Dillon