Errors-to: owner-drums@CS.UTK.EDU
Message-Id: <199509182327.TAA26068@CS.UTK.EDU>
To: drums@CS.UTK.EDU
From: "Roger Fajman" <RAF@CU.NIH.GOV>
Date:     Mon, 18 Sep 1995  19:23:26 EDT
Subject:  Re:  Call for documentation:  theory and practice of Resent-*

> b) the various uses of Resent-* in present-day mail UAs and/or MTAs.
>
> ...whether they can be justified by the language in 822 or not.

Just for information, here's the section on Resent from RFC 822:

     4.2.  FORWARDING

          Some systems permit mail recipients to  forward  a  message,
     retaining  the original headers, by adding some new fields.  This
     standard supports such a service, through the "Resent-" prefix to
     field names.

          Whenever the string "Resent-" begins a field name, the field
     has  the  same  semantics as a field whose name does not have the
     prefix.  However, the message is assumed to have  been  forwarded
     by  an original recipient who attached the "Resent-" field.  This
     new field is treated as being more recent  than  the  equivalent,
     original  field.   For  example, the "Resent-From", indicates the
     person that forwarded the message, whereas the "From" field indi-
     cates the original author.

          Use of such precedence  information  depends  upon  partici-
     pants'  communication needs.  For example, this standard does not
     dictate when a "Resent-From:" address should receive replies,  in
     lieu of sending them to the "From:" address.

     Note:  In general, the "Resent-" fields should be treated as con-
            taining  a  set  of information that is independent of the
            set of original fields.  Information for  one  set  should
            not  automatically be taken from the other.  The interpre-
            tation of multiple "Resent-" fields, of the same type,  is
            undefined.

          In the remainder of this specification, occurrence of  legal
     "Resent-"  fields  are treated identically with the occurrence of
     fields whose names do not contain this prefix.