[spambayes-dev] RE: Delivery Status Notification (Failure)

[Seth Goodman]

> From: spambayes-dev-bounces+sethg=goodmanassociates.com at python.org
> [mailto:spambayes-dev-bounces+sethg=goodmanassociates.com at python.org]On
> Behalf Of Tony Meyer
> Sent: Monday, September 20, 2004 5:18 PM

<...>

> Weird.  I can't find it either, but the bounces are still arriving.  I
> suppose that means that they are subscribed under some address
> that forwards to the problem address.

Your list uses VERP bounce addresses, so the return-path includes the
subscriber address.  After one or more forwards, the end user's MTA still
bounces to the same address.  If the message I am replying to had bounced,
the bounce would come back to your MTA with a 2821 envelope of:

MAIL FROM:<>
RCPT TO:<spambayes-dev-bounces+sethg=goodmanassociates.com at python.org>

Your list software is supposed to route that bounce to the admin so you can
unsubscribe the dead account.  There is no way that a bounce should get
distributed to the list, unless it really was a post, not a DSN.  What do
the headers look like?  A real DSN should come from a 2821 null-sender with
a 2822 From: that is typically <mailer-daemon at end.user.domain>.

While we're on the subject, I noticed that your list also sets the Sender:
header to the VERP bounce address.  It would be a little nicer to set
Sender: to the list owner address, perhaps <owner-spambayes-dev at python.org>,
so that recipients don't see their own address as part of the originating
address displayed by the MUA (see what Outlook shows on the first line of
this post).  Just my 2 centavos.

--

Seth Goodman