> Keith Moore wrote: > > > actually returning multiple results doesn't work very well for > > either email addresses or domains. > > Please note that email systems today already return mutiple results: > > 1 - failed delivery, host unknown > 2 - failed delivery, recipient does not like sender > 3 - failed delivery, quota exceeded > 4- delayed delivery > 5- "out of office" bot reply > 6 - "out of the company" bot reply > ... > > without actually connecting anyone. So, would having multiple results, > that may allow you to get connected, be a definite advantage over > the current situation? you're missing the point. having meaningful error messages can be useful, of course. but expecting meaningful error messages to solve the problems associated with ambiguous names/addresses is naive. (note that the same problems are starting to exist at layer 3 due to the introduction of ambiguous addresses at the IP layer - and they're causing problems there also.) Keith