CNET wonders whether SMTP has outlived its useful life. At first I assumed they were referring to the problem of open relays, but the gist is that SMTP is too trusting — it behaves as if you are who you say are. No accountability = spammer’s delight. In fact, the creator of SMTP is amazed it’s still around. I’m skeptical that a non-spoofable protocol could be developed, even in theory.
Music: Gorillaz :: Clint Eastwood (Ed Case/Sweetie Ire Refix)
I think that the whole question of whether SMTP – or any of the core internet protocols, IP v4 vs v6 leaps to mind – will change is an interesting one. On the one hand, the explosion of the Internet has had the effect of pumping a ton of money into this Internet thingie. On the other hand it’s also absolutely frozen the Net’s ability to evolve, because an installed base = inertia.
Whatever replaces SMTP will have to be able to communicate with SMTP, definately. Dunno about IPv6. The people with the best control over their environments – major backbone providers – are also the ones with the fewest problems inherited from IP v4 – the biggie being address space.