Something you should know about DotMac Aliases...

[Adel]

Just discovered from some Mac sites that those of you with .mac accounts and have created aliases (a new .Mac feature) for your dotmac email address should be aware that these aliases can be used only once, and can't be reassigned to another person, i.e. if you make one, then deactivate it and stop using it altogether, can never be used again by anyone else, and will forever be lost to the world.

So be careful what you aliases you make. I can imagine some malicious moron with a dotmac account creating endless lists of aliases for the sole purpose of locking them out to everyone, like the domain name hijackers we all hate. (Uh oh. Now I realize I may have put ideas in these morons's heads. Then again, being malicious morons they would probably have thought of it already.)

I tried to create philmug@mac.com (not for me but for the group; as chairman of the board and an admin for the site, I had dibs), but was told by Apple that it was already unavailable - one guess as to who the chump was who probably took the name hostage - so I had to junk that plan altogether.

As to why Apple is imposing this rule, I understand the need to avoid alias chaos, but to lock the aliases out forever?

Even domain names have expiry dates. Go figure.

[elbert]

Should I give up my elbertc@mac.com? I don't use it anyway. if someone else gets it though, other people might think it's me. Worse, some malicious moron may use the addy for spoofing. hmmm. what to do???

[elbert]

teka muna, if I want to get rid of it, how do I go about doing so?

[Adel]

No need. Just let it lay fallow. No one can ever use it again, unless you change your mind and revive it for your own use again. Or if Apple changes its rules in the future.