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1998 Fools: Move to New Email System and Your Username

The Fooler writes: 
"As the postmaster, I produced this announcement for our staff.  We were
moving from Groupwise to Netscape at the time so it was timely and did
catch many people (some at least until they saw the 'Jones' change)"


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      Date:  04/01/1998  07:37 am  (Wednesday)
      From:  POSTMASTER (System Admin)
      To:  ALLSTAFF
      Subject:  SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT to ALL STAFF

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL STAFF
=================================

SUBJECT: Move to New Email System and Your Username.

Date:    1998/04/01

To avoid major conflicts and to facilitate the
management of user accounts, when we begin with
the planned move to the new email system starting
within the next few weeks, the following renaming
scheme has been instituted by the Internet
Electronic Mail Services System Committee.

ALL email Users, regardless of their current
username, will have their email (login) names
changed to reflect the new Internet standard on
email namings based on the following plan:

1. All names shall be changed to the
    surname of SMITH.

2. To aid in sorting, names shall be
    placed as lastname (SMITH) first.

3. The users' first initial shall be
    used as the differentiating character.
    For example, ACollins becomes SMITHA

4. In case of initial duplication, a
    numeric qualifier shall be added to
    the names.  For Example, ACollins becomes
    SMITHA1 and AHanna becomes SMITHA2

5. However, in light of the name restrictions
    on the UNIX mail server, all names shall be
    padded out to a standard length of
    8 characters.
      For example, SMITHA1 becomes SMITHA01 and
       SMITHA2 becomes SMITHA02.

6. Where the name SMITH already exists in
    the name database, it shall be changed
    to the surname JONES with the naming
    convention shown above for SMITH
    similarily applicable to JONES. For
    example, JSmith becomes JONESJ01 as
    FSmith is actually J. Frederick Smith and
    thus he becomes JONESJ02.


Please note that these changes are to become
effective today April FIRST, 1998, and will take
affect as new users are moved over to the new
system.

    POSTMASTER