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N6MEF > SYSOP 27.07.14 21:40l 53 Lines 2115 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 20889_N6MEF
Read: GUEST
Subj: Please STOP using 2-letter continent codes!
Path: IZ3LSV<IK2XDE<DB0RES<DB0ANF<CX2SA<N6RME<N6MEF
Sent: 140727/2019z @:N6MEF.#NCA.CA.USA.NOAM [Santa Clara] #:20886 $:20889_N6MEF
To All BBS Sysops:
Please STOP using the obsolete 2-letter continent codes and switch to the
current 4-letter continent codes. The 4-letter codes are now 20 YEARS OLD!
Some of us run BBSs that can handle both traditional BBS hierarchical
addresses plus Internet SMTP addresses. An example is JNOS.
The problem is that the old 2-letter continent codes are also in use in
the current Internet country codes. So when an address also has no "#"
in it, there is no fool-proof way to distinguish whether the address is
an Internet address or a BBS hierarchical address.
Examples:
...@...jpn.as
You can probably guess this is for Japan. But there is no "#" in the address
so it is indistinguishable from an SMTP address in American Samoa.
...@...zaf.af
You can probably guess this is for somewhere in Africa. But again, there is
no # in the address so it is indistiguishable from an SMTP address in
Afghanistan.
There are numerous references to the current continent codes. A good one
is here. Note the date: 1994!
http://www.qsl.net/l/lu7did/docs/ax25/HIER.TXT
Once might argue: "Why not just configure all the contry identifiers with
their 2-letter codes in your BBS?"
The answer is two-fold:
1) First and foremost, the person making the error should simply correct it.
The rest of the world should not have to correct the errors of a few
who can't get around to updating their machines after 20 YEARS!
2) There's really no way for the rest of us to correct it. For example, by
current addressing standards, any address ending in '.af' is Afghanistan
unless there is some other way to tell it is not, such as the "#" character
which is not allowed in Internet-style addresses. So, even if I were to
configure a rule for '<anything>.zaf.af', I could be blocking messages to
a legitimate Internet address with a domain ending in .zaf.af.
All that's needed to fix this is for the sysops who are not using the correct
continent codes to start using the correct ones.
It's been 20 years! Come on, folks. Please get with the program.
Michael
N6MEF
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