From: Clive D.W. Feather (clive@demon.net)
Date: Fri Oct 11 2002 - 05:17:01 CDT
Brad Templeton said:
> a) Newgroup messages and checkgroup messages are modified to support a
> tag giving full 16 bit character set name for the newsgroup. The name
> is any string. It can include spaces, any printable character except
> comma. (no tabs or newlines)
Why only 16 bits? Why the ban on commas and tabs? Both seem arbitrary and
unreasonable.
> b) Articles are still posted with old-style, ASCII, dot-delimited names.
> Some users still see that.
And for years to come these names will appear in article bodies.
There's no feedback mechanism to ensure people use the correct "full
names"; at least with incorrect newsgroup names, articles tend not to
propogate. So we'll see a lot of variation around, which will lead to
confusion.
> c) Newsreaders are encouraged (SHOULD) to fetch the list of mappings,
> and display the new name and not the old one for the user.
Including in article bodies?
> d) NNTP is modified to allow the fetch of the new name for any group,
> and to display it in the return after the GROUP command.
Significant, and incompatible, protocol change.
> f) For extra credit, tools are instituted (control messages) to publish
> and broadcast named "groups of groups" as a long-term means to replace
> hierarchies.
So now we have multiple "full names" for the same group? Leading to flame
wars as to whether people are referring to the same group or different ones
when they use specific names.
-- Clive D.W. Feather | Work: <clive@demon.net> | Tel: +44 20 8371 1138 Internet Expert | Home: <clive@davros.org> | Fax: +44 870 051 9937 Demon Internet | WWW: http://www.davros.org | Mobile: +44 7973 377646 Thus plc | |