Gmail Mis.delivered?

An anonymous reader writes "Google doesn't make many mistakes but when it does, boy, are they doozies! The latest is that Gmail doesn't care about periods in usernames. So mail sent to anonymous.coward@gmail.com is also delivered to anonymouscoward@gmail.com, even though these are two separate mail accounts. Google admits Gmail doesn't see periods, but no word on a fix yet." Update: As may users have pointed out Ars has since corrected the story, stating that the original submitter was mistaken and the email was just improperly addressed.

Comments

Re:Google is Sexist!

[abandonment]

Good to see that you're the end-all-be-all to game reviewing.

If you don't like the game, don't click the link or play it. Simple enough. There are enough PC games out there to satisfy even the most jaded gamers, and yet there never seems to be any shortage of this kind of 'your game sucks' comments.

Ever tried to make a game? Lets see your game and then we'll decide whether or not to rip you a new one as a result.

I mean seriously - how is a link in a signature something that is SOOO offensive that you decide to slam someone's hard work, no matter what quality you feel that it is.

Microsoft patching

[Z34107]

[...]Microsoft aren't capable of rolling out their own patches quickly enough[...]

Firstly, the grammar nazi in me will let this one slide. Anyone who finds what I'm so tempted to complain about get a cookie.

Secondly, Microsoft patches take a while to roll out because of testing. The patches must work perfectly and they must work perfectly on all systems. Open source fixes, although faster, don't have to go through as rigorous of testing, and should a patch cause further problems, there is no liability for lost profits and the like.

I doubt they would be able to move as quickly as google in the event of a real vulnerability.

Patching an e-mail system to avoid overlooking periods (the little dot at the end of sentences, sheesh) is a lot simpler than fixing the abuse of an originally innocuous function created over a decade ago in an obsolete image format. Google works with a rather nifty database program; Microsoft works with million-line operating systems under constant attack by every hacker on the internet.

So, yea, Google could probably get a patch off faster - the difference is between the misdelivery of e-mail and the crashing of the internet. (Slammer, anyone?)