In some email I received from David Laight, sie wrote:
> On Mon, May 20, 2002 at 06:04:31PM +0700, Robert Elz wrote:
> > If the actual route trace weren't done if the target wasn't replying,
> > most of the real purpose of traceroute would be lost.
> 
> I meant to suggest that the traceroute give up after (say)
> 10 gateways that don't reply if the target itself cannot
> be reached.
> 
> It ought also be possibly to detect most loops...

But that too can result in the wrong information being discarded.

Never seen packets go into a loop with traceroute and come out ?
(All in the same set of output.)

Darren