Subject: Length of the local part of e-mails

From: Julien ÉLIE <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:41:08 +0100

Hi,

Section 7.2 of USEAGE mentions that a newsgroup name is limited to 66 characters.
Section 3 of RFC 3696 mentions that the local part of an e-mail address is limited
to 64 characters.

Yet, section 3.5.1 of USEPRO has this note:

3.5.1.  Forwarding Messages to a Moderator

    NOTE:  Deriving the email address of the moderator of a group is outside
    the scope of this document.  It is worth mentioning, however, that a common
    method is to use a forwarding service that handles submissions for many
    moderated groups.  For maximum compatibility with existing news servers,
    such forwarding services generally form the submission address for
    a moderated group by replacing each "." in the <newsgroup-name> with "-"
    and then using that value as the <local-part> of a <mailbox> formed
    by appending a set domain.

Shouldn't a warning be put here?  Because the compatibility is not optimum
with mailers when a moderated newsgroup contains 65 or 66 characters.

Or will it be handled by USEAGE?

-- 
Julien ÉLIE

« -- Il est parti comme il est venu...
  -- Il ne faisait que passer... » (Astérix)

---

From: Harald Alvestrand <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:52:08 +0100

> Section 3 of RFC 3696 mentions that the local part of an e-mail 
RFC 3696 has status "informational".

RFC 2822 states:

4.5.3.1 Size limits and minimums

   There are several objects that have required minimum/maximum sizes.
   Every implementation MUST be able to receive objects of at least
   these sizes.  Objects larger than these sizes SHOULD be avoided when
   possible.  However, some Internet mail constructs such as encoded
   X.400 addresses [16] will often require larger objects: clients MAY
   attempt to transmit these, but MUST be prepared for a server to
   reject them if they cannot be handled by it.  To the maximum extent
   possible, implementation techniques which impose no limits on the
   length of these objects should be used.

   local-part
      The maximum total length of a user name or other local-part is 64
      characters.

(fwiw, the maximum length of an X.400 O/R address was on the order of a 
kilobyte)

> with mailers when a moderated newsgroup contains 65 or 66 characters.
Reality check: How many newsgroups currently exist that have names 
longer than 64 characters?
> Or will it be handled by USEAGE?
The editing of USEPRO is finished for this generation, so USEAGE is the 
least unlikely alternative.

                       Harald

---

From: Julien ÉLIE <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:05:50 +0100

Hi Harald,

> Reality check: How many newsgroups currently exist that have names longer than 64 characters?

Well, not many...
I believe only microsoft.* and novell.* are impacted.
And of course alt.* and free.*.

So maybe it is worthless worrying about that.  Though I still think
something should be said somewhere...  USEAGE for instance, at least
for people to know they should not create such newsgroups.  If they
become moderated, it would be a problem.

microsoft.public.microsoft.transaction.server.administration.security
microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie55.outlookexpress.stationery
microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6.outlookexpress.wishlist
microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6_outlookexpress.stationery
microsoft.public.windows.vista.administration_accounts_passwords

novell.support.open-enterprise-server.netware.administration-tools
novell.support.zenworks.configuration-management.10.agent-deployment
novell.support.zenworks.configuration-management.10.asset-management
novell.support.zenworks.configuration-management.10.patch-management
novell.support.zenworks.configuration-management.10.remote-management
novell.support.zenworks.configuration-management.10.server-install
novell.support.zenworks.desktop-management.7x.imaging-server.linux
novell.support.zenworks.desktop-management.7x.imaging-server.nw-win

+ crap in alt.* and free.*

-- 
Julien ÉLIE

« Pour défendre une cause, un avocat met sa robe. Une femme... l'enlève. »