breakup by mail server
Whenever I get a bounced e-mail from a mail server running qmail, I wonder what the developers were thinking when they wrote the following message:
Hi. This is the qmail-send program at example.com.
I’m afraid I wasn’t able to deliver your message to the following addresses.
This is a permanent error; I’ve given up. Sorry it didn’t work out.
With a few slight modifications, it could serve as a breakup letter:
Hi. This is Bob from Brooklyn.
I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to date you anymore.
This is a permanent condition; I’ve given up. Sorry it didn’t work out.
Even though I’ve seen it dozens of times, every time I get a bounce from qmail I feel like it’s trying to let me down easy.
I love it!
Had qmail *really* been trying to let you down easy, it would have added, “It isn’t you. It’s me.”
Jan: Oh so true.