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Re: Empty description for moderated newsgroups


Julien ÉLIE wrote:


Hi,

In USEPRO, we have:

4.2.  application/news-groupinfo

     newsgroups-line     = newsgroup-name
                              [ 1*HTAB newsgroup-description ]
                              [ *WSP moderation-flag ]
     newsgroup-description
                         = eightbit-utext *( *WSP eightbit-utext )
     moderation-flag     = SP "(" %x4D.6F.64.65.72.61.74.65.64 ")"
                              ; SPACE + case sensitive "(Moderated)"
     eightbit-utext      = utext / %d127-255


So we can have checkgroups (or newgroup control articles) with:

fr.test
fr.test.y\tA description.
fr.test.m\tA description. (Moderated)
fr.test.m.without.desc (Moderated)

I do not believe the last one is valid.  And even though USEPRO states
that "this unusual format is backward-compatible", I think the last one
will be considered as an unmoderated newsgroup whose description is
"(Moderated)".

Which software currently acts as if the last one is non-moderated?
I can see multiple ways to write a parser for this syntax; some of them will have this problem, other won't. (for instance, if the check for "(Moderated)" is done independently of attempting to extract the description, there will not be a problem)
If it's a real problem, we should be able to cite which existing software has it. 

Isn't it a problem?  Empty descriptions are explicitly allowed by the
syntax.  But when a newsgroup is moderated, I do not see well how
to handle empty descriptions in a backward-compatible way, except
if a description is mandatory in that case.


Incidentally:

3.10.3.  Original-Sender Header Field

  The content syntax makes use of syntax defined in [RFC5536]
  and [RFC5322].

        header              =/ Original-Sender-header
        Original-Sender-header
                            = "Original-Sender" ":" SP
                                 Original-Sender-content
        Original-Sender-content
                            = mailbox


But shouldn't it be, with USEFOR [RFC5536] syntax:

        fields              =/ *Original-Sender-header
        Original-Sender-header
                            = "Original-Sender" ":" SP
                                 Original-Sender-content CRLF
        Original-Sender-content
                            = mailbox