What would make email addresses case sensitive?

  • Thread starter Thread starter geezer
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G

geezer

My friend tells me that any email I send her that is not entirely
lower case - she never gets.

I tried a test of a few combos of upper & lower case, and sure enough,
she only received the one that was entirely lower case.

I tried a test of a few combos of upper & lower case, by sending test
emails to myself, and I received every one - no surprise to me since I
always thought case did not matter.

She is using Eudora and XP. Can anyone suggest where she might look
for a solution to this. Or is it her ISP?

Thanks
 
geezer said:
My friend tells me that any email I send her that is not entirely
lower case - she never gets.

I tried a test of a few combos of upper & lower case, and sure enough,
she only received the one that was entirely lower case.

I tried a test of a few combos of upper & lower case, by sending test
emails to myself, and I received every one - no surprise to me since I
always thought case did not matter.

She is using Eudora and XP. Can anyone suggest where she might look
for a solution to this. Or is it her ISP?

Thanks
Click to expand...

It's most likely your friend's ISP. They're probably running a UNIX based
mail server. All names in UNIX are case sensitive, so MARY, Mary and mary
would be three different names, unlike Windows which being case insensitive
would treat them all as the same name. UNIX mail servers can be set up to be
case insensitive, but your friend's ISP have chosen not to. Assuming they
know how.

There isn't much you friend can do other than impressing on her contacts the
importance of spelling her email address correctly and in lower case.

She could, of course, complain to her ISP and they might change their
policy. But don't hold your breath.

By the way, web site addresses can also be case sensitive (in fact at one
time they always were). It's a UNIX thing again.
 
it must be her ISP - mail server or your mail server?
do other people get your mixed case address emails?

If they do then its her ISP and thats a big boo boo,
she should contact her ISP and report their mistake

Kenny
 
it must be her ISP - mail server or your mail server?
do other people get your mixed case address emails?

If they do then its her ISP and thats a big boo boo,
she should contact her ISP and report their mistake

Kenny
Thanks
Click to expand...
 
It's most likely your friend's ISP. They're probably running a UNIX based
mail server. All names in UNIX are case sensitive, so MARY, Mary and mary
would be three different names, unlike Windows which being case insensitive
would treat them all as the same name. UNIX mail servers can be set up to be
case insensitive, but your friend's ISP have chosen not to. Assuming they
know how.

There isn't much you friend can do other than impressing on her contacts the
importance of spelling her email address correctly and in lower case.

She could, of course, complain to her ISP and they might change their
policy. But don't hold your breath.

By the way, web site addresses can also be case sensitive (in fact at one
time they always were). It's a UNIX thing again.
Click to expand...


I'll be jiggered. Thanks a meg.

G
 
My friend tells me that any email I send her that is not entirely
lower case - she never gets.
Click to expand...

The domain (following the @) is not case sensitive. Whether the
user (before the @) is case sensitive is up to the individual ISP./
Most have elcted to make that part case insensitive, but perhaps
your friend's ISP has case-sensitive user names.

I'm virtually certain this is not related to your operating system
or hers.
 
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