[ih] Early email systems

[dhc at dcrocker.net (Dave Crocker)]

On 7/17/2018 8:22 PM, ian.peter at ianpeter.com wrote:
> Perhaps I should explain further about the MAILER-Daemon notifications: 
> I thought someone here might know.
> 
> I know the term Daemon has been used since the 1960s to describe various 

Unix was created in 1969.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_(computing):

    "The term was coined by the programmers of MIT's Project MAC."


> UNIX background processes: what I am looking for is an understanding 
> about how they became invoked in email systems: were they perhaps part 
> of POP of IMAP protocols? Or introduced in some other way when an email 
> goes astray or to an unknown address?

Pop was much later.  IMAP was much, /much/ later.

I think you are looking for asynchronous return error messages, and I 
don't remember when those first started showing up. Messages were being 
queued for asynchronous transfer -- and therefore asynchronous error 
handling -- by the mid-/late-70s.


> Thanks for the information on sndmsg Dave - I thought that would be the 
> case, and I think that is enough info for me on that. Somebody asked me 
> these questions, I think maybe something to do with a patent application 
> lawsuit, but as IANAT (I am not a techhead) I didn't feel I could answer 
> adequately and I thought people here might be able to help.

d/


-- 
Dave Crocker
Brandenburg InternetWorking
bbiw.net