Message identifiers

Mail nessages on the Internet, according to RFC822, have a unique message idenifier . This is generated using some kind of timestap or oter device which gives uniquness within an internet host machine, and then appending the internet domian name of the host

Example

		Message-id:931025113046.tbl@info.cern.ch
		Message-Is:23fbu34fhiwermj@inj7.uxks.edu

In this example, one might well guess that the mail message was written by user "tbl" just after half past eleven on October 25th, 1993, at node info.cern.ch, but that would be pure guesswork which doesn't work in the second example. The convention that the host name is used is merely in order to guarantee worldwide uniqueness of names.

(up to existing schemes, on to news)

Tim BL