Subject: Re: [Mgs] In case you were wondering

From: Truxtun Southworth via Mgs <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 2019 14:30:01 -0500

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I so remember that fiasco

On Thu, Dec 12, 2019 at 1:33 PM Mark J Bradakis via Mgs <[email-masked]>
wrote:

> Not everybody has been on this list for decades.  Some of you may be
> wondering about the Dan Hughes reference, and 'out of office' comments.
>
> What happened those many years ago was that a list subscriber set up an
> automatic email response to any incoming mail.  I don't recall exactly
> how he did it, but it wasn't done according to, oh, shall we say best
> accepted practice at the time.  And in those early days of mailman
> software running the lists, there were some things that could have been
> improved.
>
> So Dan sets up this vacation response program and goes on his merry
> way.  He gets a message from the MG list.  His program responds to the
> MG list with his 'out of the office' canned response.  The MG list gets
> his response, and sends it out to the list.  Dan's autoresponder gets a
> copy of his 'out of the office' and responds by sending his canned
> response to the list.  The MG list gets his response, and sends it out
> to the list.  Dan's autoresponder gets a copy of his 'out of the office'
> and responds by sending his canned response to the list.  The MG list
> gets his response, and sends it out to the list.  Dan's autoresponder
> gets a copy of his 'out of the office' and responds by sending his
> canned response to the list.  The MG list gets his response, and sends
> it out to the list.  Dan's autoresponder gets a copy of his 'out of the
> office' and responds by sending his canned response to the list.  The MG
> list gets his response, and sends it out to the list.  Dan's
> autoresponder gets a copy of his 'out of the office' and responds by
> sending his canned response to the list.  The MG list gets his response,
> and sends it out to the list.  Dan's autoresponder gets a copy of his
> 'out of the office' and responds by sending his canned response to the
> list...
>
> You get the idea.  Basically this infinite loop put many thousands of
> email messages in the queue in a short time, really clogging things up
> and of course annoying 100% of the list members.  And it took some time
> on my part to step in, stop the loop and clean up the mess.  Just
> another day in the leisurely life of an overpaid and underworked sys admin.
>
> mjb.
>
>
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<div><div dir=3D"auto">I so remember that fiasco=C2=A0</div></div><div><br>=
<div class=3D"gmail_quote"><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_attr">On Thu, De=
c 12, 2019 at 1:33 PM Mark J Bradakis via Mgs &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:mgs@aut=
ox.team.net">[email-masked]</a>&gt; wrote:<br></div><blockquote class=
=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padd=
ing-left:1ex">Not everybody has been on this list for decades.=C2=A0 Some o=
f you may be <br>
wondering about the Dan Hughes reference, and &#39;out of office&#39; comme=
nts.<br>
<br>
What happened those many years ago was that a list subscriber set up an <br=
automatic email response to any incoming mail.=C2=A0 I don&#39;t recall exa=
ctly <br>
how he did it, but it wasn&#39;t done according to, oh, shall we say best <=
br>
accepted practice at the time.=C2=A0 And in those early days of mailman <br=
software running the lists, there were some things that could have been <br=
improved.<br>
<br>
So Dan sets up this vacation response program and goes on his merry <br>
way.=C2=A0 He gets a message from the MG list.=C2=A0 His program responds t=
o the <br>
MG list with his &#39;out of the office&#39; canned response.=C2=A0 The MG =
list gets <br>
his response, and sends it out to the list.=C2=A0 Dan&#39;s autoresponder g=
ets a <br>
copy of his &#39;out of the office&#39; and responds by sending his canned =
<br>
response to the list.=C2=A0 The MG list gets his response, and sends it out=
 <br>
to the list.=C2=A0 Dan&#39;s autoresponder gets a copy of his &#39;out of t=
he office&#39; <br>
and responds by sending his canned response to the list.=C2=A0 The MG list =
<br>
gets his response, and sends it out to the list.=C2=A0 Dan&#39;s autorespon=
der <br>
gets a copy of his &#39;out of the office&#39; and responds by sending his =
<br>
canned response to the list.=C2=A0 The MG list gets his response, and sends=
 <br>
it out to the list.=C2=A0 Dan&#39;s autoresponder gets a copy of his &#39;o=
ut of the <br>
office&#39; and responds by sending his canned response to the list.=C2=A0 =
The MG <br>
list gets his response, and sends it out to the list.=C2=A0 Dan&#39;s <br>
autoresponder gets a copy of his &#39;out of the office&#39; and responds b=
y <br>
sending his canned response to the list.=C2=A0 The MG list gets his respons=
e, <br>
and sends it out to the list.=C2=A0 Dan&#39;s autoresponder gets a copy of =
his <br>
&#39;out of the office&#39; and responds by sending his canned response to =
the <br>
list...<br>
<br>
You get the idea.=C2=A0 Basically this infinite loop put many thousands of =
<br>
email messages in the queue in a short time, really clogging things up <br>
and of course annoying 100% of the list members.=C2=A0 And it took some tim=
e <br>
on my part to step in, stop the loop and clean up the mess.=C2=A0 Just <br>
another day in the leisurely life of an overpaid and underworked sys admin.=
<br>
<br>
mjb.<br>
<br>
<br>
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</blockquote></div></div>

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From: David Breneman via Mgs <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 2019 20:52:25 +0000 (UTC)

On Thursday, December 12, 2019, 11:52:42 AM PST, Mark J Bradakis via Mgs <[email-masked]> wrote: 

> response to the list...

Sounds like an early version of Microsoft Outlook, which happily sent
vacation messages to the same sender over and over and over...
And being a Microsoft product, broke many more rules and conventions
for email.  Like top posting, rich text, etc.
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