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*@gmail.com

xkcd.com

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Re: *@gmail.com

#31

Post by sampo »

Xelbair wrote: post #28
laurentlb wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you clarify how ignoring the dots is a problem?

imagine that you have an address name.surname@gmail.com imagine that someone else has an address namesurname@gmail.com this is very similar case to my mom's one. she constantly gets emails meant for someone else - including PII - because she has no dot in email, but the other party has a dot. I know for sure that her's account is quite old one.

> imagine that you have an address name.surname@gmail.com

> imagine that someone else has an address namesurname@gmail.com

If gmail ignores dots, it shouldn't be possible to have name.surname and namesurname as two separate gmail accounts.

Re: *@gmail.com

#32

Post by sethammons »

Xelbair wrote: post #28
laurentlb wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you clarify how ignoring the dots is a problem?

imagine that you have an address name.surname@gmail.com imagine that someone else has an address namesurname@gmail.com this is very similar case to my mom's one. she constantly gets emails meant for someone else - including PII - because she has no dot in email, but the other party has a dot. I know for sure that her's account is quite old one.

Not for gmail though; gmail ignores those dots. But some.email@notgmail.com is normally a different inbox if the local part drops the dot.

Re: *@gmail.com

#33

Post by InsomniacL »

Xelbair wrote: post #28
laurentlb wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you clarify how ignoring the dots is a problem?

imagine that you have an address name.surname@gmail.com imagine that someone else has an address namesurname@gmail.com this is very similar case to my mom's one. she constantly gets emails meant for someone else - including PII - because she has no dot in email, but the other party has a dot. I know for sure that her's account is quite old one.

that makes no sense, Gmail ignores the dot so both those email addresses are the same and can only belong to one person.

if you register namesurname@gmail.com, then you also every combination of it with a dot.

n.amesurname@gmail.com

na.mesurname@gmail.com

nam.esurname@gmail.com etc..

Re: *@gmail.com

#35

Post by wongarsu »

adrianmsmith wrote: post #9
beardyw wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is a great reminder that Gmail ignores dots on the left side of the @ symbol But sometimes handy to fool sign ups and use it twice (or more depending on length). I wonder if you can use multiple dots?

I'm not sure if you can use f..oo@gmail.com but if your email address is longer than a few characters then there are definitely a large number of combinations you can use if you want to register multiple accounts at one service, foo@, f.oo@, fo.o@, f.o.o@ etc. You can also use foo+extra@gmail.com and the +extra will be ignored, so you can give each service a separate email address like foo+hn@gmail.com. Beware, as I…

> I'm not sure if you can use f..oo@gmail.com

That wouldn't be a valid email address. (unless it's quoted. "f..oo"@gmail.com is valid, but so obscure nobody will accept it).

Re: *@gmail.com

#36

Post by gadders »

I love a good reply-all email storm.

I remember a Lotus Notes-based on in a bank I worked at the early 90's. I think it only stopped when the Chief of Staff did a reply-all with "The next person to reply-all to these emails is sacked."

Re: *@gmail.com

#37

Post by Fnoord »

xigoi wrote: post #15
dredmorbius wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To borrow an example from Internet domain names, consider: experts.exchang@gmail.com expert.sexchange@gmail.com Those addresses would be identical by Gmail's parsing conventions.

And how is that a problem?

Because its not according to RFCs and how everyone else has implemented it.

Re: *@gmail.com

#38

Post by forgotpwd16 »

Xelbair wrote: post #28
laurentlb wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you clarify how ignoring the dots is a problem?

imagine that you have an address name.surname@gmail.com imagine that someone else has an address namesurname@gmail.com this is very similar case to my mom's one. she constantly gets emails meant for someone else - including PII - because she has no dot in email, but the other party has a dot. I know for sure that her's account is quite old one.

>because she has no dot in email, but the other party has a dot

And that's exactly the issue Gmail solves by ignoring dots. There cannot be two different accounts differing by dot(s).

Re: *@gmail.com

#39

Post by InsomniacL »

adrianmsmith wrote: post #7
laurentlb wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you clarify how ignoring the dots is a problem?

One problem I've encountered is that usually sites won't allow you to register an account if the email address is already registered at that site. So if I register foo@gmail.com then someone else can't accidentally register foo@gmail.com. But they can register f.o.o@gmail.com just fine. So I mean at my Gmail I have all manner of different Facebook accounts with various misspelling of my email address notifying me of…

I don't understand how anyone else can register a facebook account with f.o.o@gmail.com if you own it just as much as you own foo@gmail.com.

Re: *@gmail.com

#40

Post by xigoi »

dredmorbius wrote: post #25
xigoi wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And how is that a problem?

The presumption would be that these are two different entities.

They can't be, because Gmail obviously won't let you register an address that's already registered.
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