Recently i was involved in some mail system configuration. Besides all the usual mail this particular server used to send newsletters on a weekly basis. Not a lot, but enough to be blocked by creations like Hotmail and Yahoo.
While watching server logs i noticed that Yahoo always say "250 ok dirdel" when accepting mail for delivery. At first i thought it's some kind of a joke left by Yahoo sysadmin. Subtle reference to "delete directory"? But that didn't make much sense. I don't like missing a joke, especially a technical one.
Quick search got me Yahoo Mail Help. Which states at the very end:
"If you do not see these or similar error messages, you should see an SMTP confirmation code similar to "250 ok dirdel" that indicates your message has been delivered."Once i finished reading the sentence it hit me. There is a pattern!
d i r
e v e
l e d
delivered
I call it a sandwich :)
It seems to me, that "dirdel" is more then just a general randomness of life.
Hence the question: Who is Eve and where does Yahoo! deliver our mail?
