Comments on: Apache, open-source groups wary of Sender ID

The Apache Foundation pulls support for the antispam technology because of Microsoft's license requirements.

[wrwjpn]

Go Apache and OS community

The Open Source Community has this right.
MS is trying to take control of e-mail as well as their control over
the browser. We have seen the benefits of MS and IE, do we
really want MS to give us the same quality with their anti-spam
technology? And they want to patent it and license it. Yeah MS is
really looking out for our best interest. Actually I have very little
spam because I don't use MS Outlook or Exchange servers. This
has prevented my e-maill address from being harvested.

As reported in the article, "As developers of open-source e-mail
technologies, we are concerned that no company should be
permitted IP (intellectual property) rights over core Internet
infrastructure," I must agree. This is a community and the
community's best interest is more important than MS making a
few extra pennies off of this.

[jamie.p.walsh]

you my friend, are mistaken

Not using MS Outlook or Exchange does not prevent you from having your email address "harvested" as you say. In the past, email addresses have been bought and sold by scrupulous individuals with access to those lists. I will admit that using these tools may expose you in certain ways, but you are mistaken if you believe that you are not at risk.

As with anything, diversity is the key. Using these tools puts you "at risk" because you are part of a large group. Open source advocates preach the security of their products, but what they fail to mention is that they are a small portion. I believe Sendmail, an open source project, has been found to have security issues. It became a target due to its high use. The same will happen to the Linux kernel in time.

I will, however, say that if MS wants to provide a specification for sender validation, then it needs to reconsider its patenting and licensing strategy for the greater good of the internet.

[alek_nedic]

Outlook or Exchange

http://www.analogstereo.com/vacuum/vacuum_sealer_bag.htm

microsoft: when are you going to learn?

microsoft: when are you going to learn?

microsoft must stop with it's licensing insanity! if they were allowed, they would patent and license everything. the more they continue in this vein, the more unpopular they are going to become. It worked for THEM in the 20th century, but their mentality is no longer relevant in the 21st. It's a good thing that there are more and more savvy people and users standing up to them.

[arthur-b]

Typical of Microsoft

Leave it to Microsoft to take an idea that maybe could have done some good and turn it into something to their own liking. Makes me think of Smart Tags and DRM.

As if Microsoft hasn't already taken enough. But I guess once one way street, always one way street. Don't blame them, they simply don't know any better. And since there's no "parent" around to show them the errors of their way... They're basicly the super rich single kid and spoiled brat. Never satisfied. Always wanting more their way.

Have fun having that in your house.

What were the IETF folks thinking?

They should have known better than to involve Microsoft in this endeavor. They are no sticklers to open standards. See how they are fragmenting HTML. They decimated Kerberos. There have patents targeted at cornering XML. Just because Microsoft introduced it does not mean they would stick to it either -- they will attempt to wear other other parties out on an impossible 'hurry to catch up' rat race. Microsoft feels it has a right to control the Internet. It is up to the IEFT to let them.
To me, this whole issue is a no-brainer. There are efforts from other quarters that aim resolve this issue of e-mail authentication, e.g. Yahoo DomainKeys and AOL's Sender Permitted From (SPF). Why don't the IEFT look at their offerings in comparison with Microsoft's that is bereft in a quagmire of patents and stringent licensing requirements?
Well, thanks to the proliferatio of web based e-mail services (which I have come to depend on), I am not going to lose much sleep over this.