[Mimedefang] GMail (was Re: stripping Received headers based on authentication)

[David F. Skoll]

Les Mikesell wrote:

>> Transmitting an email via HTTP from a client computer qualifies
>> as gatewaying by my reading of the RFC.

> That means you have to think my web browser is also an email gateway.

No.  You misunderstand.  The web *server* is the email gateway.  It
gateways mail *from* the browser (using HTTP) *to* the Internet (using SMTP).

> How so?  X does more than draw pixels, but neither X nor http know
> anything about email or the contents of what they transport.  That's all
> up to the application at the other end - and it's why they are both so
> useful.

The difference is that the SMTP gateway in the forwarded-X case cannot
possibly know the IP address of the X display.  In the Webmail case,
the HTTP server absolutely does know the IP address of the client.
Similar reasoning applies to the pine-over-SSH scenario: The SMTP gateway
cannot possibly know the IP address of the SSH client.

A gateway cannot supply information it does not have.  Google,
however, suppresses information it *does* have.

> The browser displays a form, but only the application at the other end
> knows anything about the contents being mail.  Which is exactly the same
> scenario as if I typed it into thunderbird in a remote X window.

I can't tell if you're baiting me or deliberately being obtuse, so I think
I'll withhold further replies.

Regards,

David.