EAI Email Address Internationalization

							EAI: Email Address
Internationalization
   Harald Alvestrand
    Xiaodong Lee
                Purpose
• Specify an experimental protocol
  extension for SMTP that allows
  – Äccënt@særetegn.no as an email address
  – ”plain” UTF-8 representation of text in
    message headers
• Corresponding changes to headers, POP,
  IMAP, mailing lists as needed
• Gateway spec between SMTP and the
  ”new world”
               Mechanism
• Label for work: UTF8SMTP
• Use a SMTP extension to keep extended
  messages inside the UTF8SMTP context
• Specify downgrading of messages
• Specify address handling at downgrade
  – Do NOT specify an address conversion
    algorithm
  – Instead, send along an ”alternate address”
             Status of work
• ”Framework” document nearly finished
  – Describes overview and principles
• Mechanism drafts for SMTP extension,
  header extension, downgrade, IMAP,
  POP, mailing lists in progress
• Some early implementation work done
  – No deeply dangerous issues uncovered so far
       Controversial aspects
• Alt-address vs ”encoded” address
  – Decided on alt-address only
• Encapsulation vs conversion at
  downgrade
  – Decided on conversion
• Exact format for alt-address representation
  – <æøå@æøå <aoa@aoa>> current leader
• Representation of ”lost” info after
  downgrade
                  Timeline
• Original plan: Finished by October
• Current plan: Finished before March
  – Dependent on quality of mailing list discussion
  – More people experimenting would be nice
• Next meeting: Thursday at 1300