- Author
- Andros Fenollosa
- Published
- 27 July 2026
- Kind
- Personal blog post proposing a design, with a prototype
- Original
- en.andros.dev/blog/d7ed8b07/modern-email-can-be-built-from-borrowed-parts/
- Subject
- Future of computing
What it is
Andros Fenollosa wrote this blog post, tagged web, activitypub, python and email. The post is a design experiment, not a plan to replace email. It keeps only the address shape and rebuilds everything else.
What it says
- Fenollosa proposes HMTP, a mail system over HTTP that keeps only the user@domain address form.
- Fenollosa says every part already exists, so the only new thing is the assembly.
- Delivery is found through a document at .well-known, replacing MX records.
- Fenollosa has each message signed, with subject and body sealed end to end using HPKE.
- Senders are verified by fetching the key from the sender's own domain, not by DKIM.
- Fenollosa proposes spam defence in layers, including a requests box for first contact.
- Fenollosa built a one-file Python prototype but left out several pieces.
What evidence it gives
The post offers a design argument and a table of existing technologies. It links a working Python prototype for the main transport steps. No tests or measurements are reported.
Interests and limits
The author calls the prototype a design experiment with unaudited cryptography. It cannot exchange mail with existing providers. It leaves out key chains, postage, attachments by reference and JMAP reading. The post was revised after a Hacker News discussion. The post admits first-contact consent does not eliminate spam.