[pmmail-list] PMMAIL 2.20.2380 file corruption (forwards with attachments)

[Ralph Cohen]

On Sun, 23 Sep 2001 18:34:06 -0700 (PDT), Kris Sorem Sr wrote:

>The ONLY point I've made is that to encounter and achieve
>data corruption requires the *inappropriate* use of the forwarding
>function. I stand by that opinion.

Hi Kris,

It is *ONLY* inappropriate because, under a certain narrow set of
circumstances, it causes data corruption.  There is nothing
inappropriate about using the Forwarding function.  If there is a
potential problem under certain circumstances, then PMMail should
either warn users when they attempt to forward messages or prevent them
from doing so.

The fundamental problem here is that PMMail acts in an inconsistent
manner.  If forwarded attachments were *ALWAYS* corrupted, then users
would know that it was up to them to check attachments for validity
before they were forwarded.  However, since the corruption only occurs
under a specific, narrow set of circumstances, then it should be the
responsibility of the software to either fix the inconsistency or to
protect users from its effects.

If PMMail marketed itself as being appropriate only for those users who
have a sufficient understanding of file systems and programming
paradigms, then I would have no problem with assigning responsibility
for avoiding the corruption of attachments to the user and not the
software.  However, there are no such disclaimers on BSW's site or in
their software so it is up to BSW to make sure that their software is
usable by the audience they market it to.

Finally, as a general observation, I believe that most of the emotional
outbursts in this thread have been misdirected.  As far as I am
concerned, the real culprit is BSW who has made a series of promises
over the past two years which they have not fulfilled, and who
continues to disrespect their customers by refusing to promptly and
directly address the concerns put forth on this list.  It is no wonder
that there is an underlying tone of frustration running through threads
like this one which can really only be solved by BSW.  So, while I
firmly believe that this situation represents a serious bug in PMMail
that must be fixed by BSW, I also appreciate the efforts of Kris and
others to explain the nature of the problem and how it can be averted
so that we can continue using the software in the mean time.

Ralph