[Info-vax] To MIME or not to MIME

[Stephen Hoffman]

On 2018-08-03 22:06:57 +0000, Arne Vajhj said:

> On 8/3/2018 12:00 PM, Stephen Hoffman wrote:
>> On 2018-08-02 12:35:19 +0000, Simon Clubley said:
>>> On 2018-08-01, Dave Froble <davef at tsoft-inc.com> wrote:
>>>> Well, yes, don't use VMS for mail.  Plenty of other platforms in use by 
>>>>  those who deal with mail.  VMS doesn't do so.  But in many cases this 
>>>> doesn't distract from the usefullness of VMS.
>>> 
>>> I'm amused/sad that in 2018 we still need to have a detailed discussion 
>>> about how to read MIME messages on VMS.
>> 
>> Mail processing is a common part of operating servers these days, too.
>> 
>> Sending and variously receiving messages.
>> 
>> For both production and for operational uses.
> 
> That is not my impression.

I am referring to apps that are sending out and (less commonly) 
receiving and processing mail messages, and not necessarily to running 
a general-access mail server.

Hence my reference to this with the following:

"Even OpenVMS dabbles in the use of mail, though usually only to "bring 
you bad news"."

I've written several OpenVMS-based apps that receive and process email 
messages.  Works nicely for some tasks.  But it's also untrusted data 
and parsers, with the incumbent risks and security requirements that 
arise from that.

Apparently you are utterly unfamiliar with this infamous message 
generated by OpenVMS.  That happens to arise when OpenVMS error 
formatter sends an email message.

I believe I have mentioned Exchange Server and Postfix once or twice, 
and I've mentioned that OpenVMS is not capable of running without a 
mail server for many of these mail-related tasks with no provisions in 
the default installation for sending and receiving mail from a remote 
mail server and a mail server that might well be running Exchange 
Server or Postfix or OpenSMTPD or various other choices here, and I've 
mentioned my preference for Postfix to that of the current TCP/IP 
Services Mail Server, but apparently I need to write a whole chapter 
with footnotes in every posting I make around here, except that 
including all those references and all those words and all the 
necessary citations and all that boiler plate and all of the 
cross-references and the rest of the baggage that is necessary to make 
every single posting here a complete and standalone posting just serves 
to annoy other folks around here.   And even by annoying those folks 
with the verboseness, others will simply ignore or misread or otherwise 
render the effort less than effective.


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