The trouble with e-mail

So… I saw Kelly Martin’s article on The Register sounding the death knell for e-mail. Not the first time I’ve heard it rung, and I sure hope not the last.

E-mail is a great product – if you trust everyone using your network, or can discipline malcontents. Given the size and scope of the Internet, e-mail just doesn’t cut it. We need a system that authenticates senders. We need a system that punishes abuse. We need a system that lets recipients specify who they’re willing to receive content from. And we need a system that’s as easy to use as, well… e-mail.

If you know how to fix the system, be sure to get a patent, as you’ll surely spend the rest of your days sipping piña coladas by the beach.