[ih] Email "autoresponder" origins

[Dave Crocker]

Folks,

G'day.

Just got a query from a reporter relayed to me:

>>> Do you know anything about the history of the Email-autoresponder?
>>> I'm currently working on an article about that subject matter and, so far,
>>> couldn't find any information on how or by whom it was invented. Any hint


My own MMDF had it in the late 70s but was definitely far from the first.

Sendmail had it before min, as I recall, and its predecessor delivermail might 
have.  (Eric's records only date back to about 1980.)

But I do not remember whether other email software had such a feature back then. 
  The obvious primary choices were at PARC and MIT.  (One could imagine ITS or 
CTS having had it; this question doesn't require networking.)

Do any of you recall the earliest history on this?

Thanks.

d/

ps.  For some reason, postel.org has decided to block mail from my operator or 
me (bbiw.net or songbird.com): Connection refused by mailman.postel.org.

-- 

   Dave Crocker
   Brandenburg InternetWorking
   bbiw.net