Microsoft signs up prodigal AOL

INTERNET Service Provider AOL said it has changed its mind and now loves Microsoft's anti-spam 'Sender ID' plan. Sender ID was killed off as a worldwide de facto standard for messaging by the Open Source Community who were concerned about Vole's bizarre licensing requirements. AOL joined them, but yesterday a VolePerson said that the ISP was back in the fold and singing from Bill Gate's hymn sheet and other cliches that suggest that the prodigal ISP had returned.

The reason for the u-turn is that Microsoft is submitting a revised plan to the Internet Engineering Task Force and had regained AOL's support. The new plan would be compatible with a system AOL and roughly 100,000 other businesses have been testing. A spokesAOL 'applauded' Vole for its efforts on the specification. The new Sender ID specification is, without a doubt, proof that the standards process can work well . . . But more progress can be made, and much more work is to be done, AOL said.

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