[lug] SMTP delivery: No route to host

[Kirk Rafferty]

On Tue, Nov 26, 2002 at 09:41:38PM +0000, j davis wrote:
> also, your email setup is kinda like being a US Citizen in a
> American airport....Just because a few f-ed up....we are
> now treated like criminals by our very own country...

SMTP port blocking and post-9/11 airport policies couldn't be further
apart, so this analogy breaks down very quickly.  I certainly don't
treat my customers like criminals.  I don't know of any local ISP that
does that.  I cannot speak for the AOLs of the world though.

> i.e. you are punishing your users for shit they didnt do,
> maybe a better idea would be better incoming filters...
> outgoing filters...how rude...are these not the people
> paying your bills?

We're not punishing anyone, because over 99% of our customers don't have
a need to relay to another SMTP server anyway.  And we've accomodated
the one or two customers that do. (not to mention, we don't restrict SMTP
at all on our shell account server, for those who use email the way God
intended--mutt, pine, elm, telnet port 25, etc :)

The argument against blocking SMTP on dialups reminds me of Monty Python's
Life of Brian.  The scene where the People's Front of Judea finally agreed
that, even though Stan/Loretta was a man, and could not physically have
a baby (having no womb), he still had the *right* to have a baby.

This analogy also breaks down quickly, although it's a much more
entertaining analogy than airports and Gubment goons. :)

> Big Brother sux,

Agreed.

-k