Comment 39 for bug 233990

On 2009-12-15 00:36, C de-Avillez wrote :
> <SystemCleanup>
> Some pout-pourri on previous comments:
>
>> There should *never* be a bare linefeed in SMTP transmission.
>> Hence, if there is one, it *must* be a bug.
>>
>
> I do not remember stating anything else. And, yes, I do know the
> requirements in the RFCs.
>

I never said that you stated anything else.
What I'm saying is that there's no reason to try to prove we are facing
a bug.
The perfect proof of it is contained within one single file.
Please send it where the bug will be fixed.

>> It's *only* the developer's concern *where *that bare lf is.
>>
>
> Pretty much all that *tried* to work with you are -- gasp! --
> developers. Still, you threw them all away.
>
Are you saying that bringing in a perfect bug report is throwing people
away?

In addition, I very calmly replied developers' unnecessary questions, like :
> http://cr.yp.to/docs/smtplf.html <http://cr.yp.to/docs/smtplf.html>
> does not show a dialog box.
There shouldn't be a dialog box in D. J. Bernstein's explanation of what
a bare linefeed is.
> can you please give us a screenshot of the problem.
I already sent you a screenshot in file Screenshot-Alert.png

> Thunderbird is not listed http://cr.yp.to/docs/smtplf.html
> <http://cr.yp.to/docs/smtplf.html>
Are you asking me to ask D. J. Bernstein's to add it?

> I do not see anything in any of the links that shows us your problem.
It's not in a link, it's in the mdnmsg file (fourth time) and
Screenshot-Alert.png

etc...
>
>> As ma previous answer looks very ugly on site, I stored the html
>> version html_answer.eml.
>
> Oh, you finally noticed, good. I thought, until now, that I was the only
> one (and, probably, indeed, was).
>
Not my fault if the text version of my e-mail was stored instead of the
html one.
You may open a bug if you don't like what they're doing.

> </SystemCleanup>
>
> Now, back to business.
>
> I did send an email with a MDN request to André, and -- guess what? -- I
> got my MDN. As I very much expected, by the way. I was already
> suspecting the UTF-8 encoding in the headers (of André's name) as the
> cause but, unfortunately, André was unable to understand it.
>
Ah, and now *I* don't understand. That's the best yet ...
It's seems that *you* are unable to understand what I have written in
the bug's description :
> We have now saved a developer 1 minute by telling that what he will
> find in the mdnmsg file is that a bare linefeed occurs when an encoded
> header line is split. We could lose a few more hours trying to find if
> this occurs only to mdn messages, only to UTF encoding etc... but a
> developer will make all these findings from the code right away.

It's perfectly stupid to Say that "the UTF-8 encoding in the headers (of
André's name)" is the cause of the following bare linefeed case

> $ grep -P '[^\r]\n' mdnmsg3.eml | tee /dev/tty | hd
> Subject: Return Receipt (displayed) - =?ISO-8859-
>
> 1?Q?Re:_WiFi_=28liaison_de_donn=E9es_par_radio=29_pou?=
> =?ISO-8859-1?Q?r_Th=E9r=E8se,_3*20?=
>
First, that's not UTF-8 encoding but ISO-8859-1
and second, that's not my name in it but of my sister Thérèse.
Moreover there's no hope in trying to tweak the Thunderbird I use if the
e-mail was sent by the Apple Mail of my brother Paul.

The message you sent me did not produce any error simply because none of
its header line caused a Thunderbird error. If you send me a message
like mdnmsg3.eml, it will produce one.
I must confess that I'm tired of repeating such obvious statements.

If you really want to send me such a message the only reliable way I can
see is :
1) open an SMTP connection,
2) exchange the RFC822 dialog to send me e-mail
3) shove in enough of the header data from mdnmsg3.eml
4) send a null line
5) make a dummy body and end with a standalone dot
6) make sure to warn me with e-mail details, the past date will make it
hidden in my MBOX

*that* is garanteed to succeed.

But again, that's time lost, as we know there is a bug and everything to
find the code error is in mdnmsg.
> Ah well.
>
> So now we know where it happens, and how to workaround the issue
> meanwhile. I will even go ahead and test it on TB3, just for grins.
>
Yes, I have the feeling to know where it happens better than anyone.
But no I don't know any workaround beside using Outlook Express to send
some Return Receipts.
Could you please share with us what your workaround is?
What can I do to prevent Thunderbird sending a bare linefeed in the
Subject line when someone sends me an e-mail as those contained in
mdnmsg2.eml, mdnmsg3.eml and mdnmsg4.eml?

André.