A+ technoglogies + a question

[Donald L. Johnson <70524.1023@CompuServe.COM>]

com
 
 Don #23 <leed@sfsu.edu> asked:
 
> Now, the question is how can someone send an email with an address
> that doesn't exist, or the system doesn't know it is not there?
 
 Dave Althoff (dalloff@freenet.columbus.oh.us) replied:
 
> The most logical answer I can come up with is that the person sent
> the mail message from a SLIP account with a broken mail program.
> "Broken" in the sense that the return address header is not
properly
> set.
 
The problem you describe has also happened to me several times, when
I
tried to send an email reply to a Usenet posting.  While Dave's
answer
may be right, there is another possibility.
 
What you may not be aware of is that the From: address in a Usenet
message header is not necessarily the sender's email address.  On
some
systems, especially big corporate networks, it is the address of that
person's newsreader.  It is a separate function from their email
client, hence a slightly different address.  Usually these
newsreaders
can recieve and post to the newsgroups, but cannot/do not handle
email
(I don't know enough of the mechanics to explain why, but that seems
to be how it works).
 
Compuserve does use the same user address for everything.  But what I
do, and most of the regulars here seem to do, is always sign your
posts with your real name (not screen names or "handles") and email
addresses.  This way there is no question who you are talking to, or
where to send private replies.  It's also good netiquette.
 
Donald L Johnson
70524.1023@Compuserve.com