Phasing out '%' in usernames

[trevorb]

Also posted on the news page:

We have phased out support for using a percent (%) sign instead of an at sign ([at]) for login usernames. If you have been using the 'username%spamcop.net' format for logging in to POP or IMAP, please switch to 'username[at]spamcop.net' or you will have problems connecting.

The percent sign alternative was originally used because buggy old e-mail clients did not support "[at]" in the username field. Modern clients do not have that problem.

[Wazoo]

Pinned this for a while ....

Thanks Trevor for bringing this bit of announcement 'here' ...

[michaelanglo]

Also posted on the news page:

The percent sign alternative was originally used because buggy old e-mail clients did not support "[at]" in the username field. Modern clients do not have that problem.

So anyone using such a mail client is SOL, eh ?

I also note that POP was rejecting the % form two days ago, it failed for me a hour ago and worked again ten minutes ago.

Down with ex post facto !

[Wazoo]

So anyone using such a mail client is SOL, eh ?

I also note that POP was rejecting the % form two days ago, it failed for me a hour ago and worked again ten minutes ago.

I don't suppose you'd actually offer any details? What client / OS is actually in use?

[trevorb]

Support for '%' notation is actually back now. It isn't supported by our mail server software by default and creating custom patches to support it was making it more difficult for us to do security upgrades. However, we found a way to support it without patching the mail servers so it will keep working for the few users who still need it.

-Trevor

[michaelanglo]

Thanks, I didn't look forward to finding another email client.

It would be helpful if you give advance notice of such matters though.

--

Wazoo, I didn't see how more details would help. Anyone using the userid%domain notation in the mail account field is presumably aware of it and if they are not so aware mentioning the name of my ten year-old mail client running under Win95B isn't likely to help them *be* aware.

For the historically inclined it's Microsoft Mail & News (immediate precursor of OE).

I discovered the notation/work around somewhere between 2001 (when I was unable to figure out how to access an extra mail account) and July 2003 when I first paid up for the Spamcop mail & filtering service and at first couldn't use POP.

Since that's at least 5 years back I don't remember how or where the information came from.

[StevenUnderwood]

Wazoo, I didn't see how more details would help. Anyone using the userid%domain notation in the mail account field is presumably aware of it and if they are not so aware mentioning the name of my ten year-old mail client running under Win95B isn't likely to help them *be* aware.

It might help us answer questions of others who come along using old versions of applications. Too much information is never a problem, only not enough.