The Debian GNU/Linux project has become the second major open source group to reject Microsoft's Sender ID proposal for email authentication.

In a message posted to the Debian News Channel, project spokesman Martin Schulze said: "The current Microsoft Royalty-Free Sender ID Patent License Agreement terms are a barrier to any Debian package which wants to implement Sender ID or include Sender ID support.

"We believe the current license and resulting encumbrances are incompatible with the DFSG, (Debian Free Software Guidelines) unlike other internet standards that Debian is able to support."

Debian is a project set up by Ian Murdoch in 1994 to create a free operating system. Many other Linux distributions have used it as a base.

Last week, the Apache Software Foundation said it would not be supporting the scheme.

Sender ID is conceived from the Sender Policy Framework put forward by Meng Weng Wong, the founder of Pobox.com, and some elements of Microsoft's own Caller ID proposal which failed to gain traction.
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Source : SMH