Re: [idn] The report from the design team

[Patrik Fältström <paf@cisco.com>]

At 23.26 -0800 01-02-13, Eric A. Hall wrote:
>  > to put the question in a more practical light: if someone sends
>  > out mail with a return address that uses an IDN, is it acceptable
>  > if the recipient cannot reply to that message unless his mail
>  > reader and the chain of SMTPs between him and the original sender
>  > support IDNs?
>
>The end-user still has to upgrade the MUA to use ACE. If he doesn't, then
>at least one of the SMTP servers will have to do the work (assuming they
>accept an unconverted IDN from the MUA in the first place) whenever the
>user clicks on the internationalized mailto: link.

I think Keith said "reply to an email", and I think that is the level 
of backward functionality which is really essential.

I.e. one reason why I wrote the IDNA proposal was exactly this scenario:

User A have an IDN capable email client, and he uses an email address 
in a domainname which is an "IDN"-domain. He sends an email with this 
email address as From address.

The recipient B have a client and/or server (or even a system which 
is behind a gateway, like lotus notes, first class or X.400) which 
receives the message.

Now, B want to reply to the message.

I want that to work, regardless of how the From address look like on 
the screen.

Because of this, B having non-IDN software, IDNA is needed.

Also, B can still add the From-address to his address book in his 
email client (the domainname still looks weird as the ACE is not 
decoded).

Broken as the ACE is not decoded -- yes -- but it is possible for A 
and B to continue to exchange email.

    Patrik