Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!sun-barr!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcvax!hp4nl!philapd!ssp15!jos
From: jos@idca.tds.PHILIPS.nl (Jos Vos)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d
Subject: A few questions/comments on Rkive
Keywords: rkive archive sources USENET
Message-ID: <1123@ssp15.idca.tds.philips.nl>
Date: 5 Jul 89 11:21:03 GMT
Organization: Philips Telecommunication and Data Systems, The Netherlands
Lines: 39

After reading quickly through the accompanying documentation of rkive,
I have the following remarks (please don't flame if an answer can be
found in the documentation - I read it *quickly*):

-  First of all, it looks GREAT. I hope to start using it soon!
   Besides sources I want (have) to use it for a number of "normal"
   newsgroups too.

-  It is mentioned in rkive(1) that an existing file is (by default)
   not overwritten. What happens then?

   This area of problems is also indicated in the IDEAS file: a
   more flexible naming scheme should be possible besides the
   article number (and the other two). E.g. a format
   string using % notations for time parameters (day, hour, seconds).
   Also enabling the use of a user program that generates the filename
   (without the directory) would be a possibility: this is the most
   generic way and quite easy to implement (but not efficient...).

-  How it is known whether an article is already archived?

   The previous problem becomes BIG if it can only be concluded
   that an article is already archived because the file exists...

-  How are crosspostings handled?

-  Is it not possible to use rkive as a program directly
   from the sys file (that is, with the article as stdin)?
   Probably not (the first problem SHOULD be solved then).
   I think this is a much cleaner way of archiving the news, isn't it?
   (who knows what happens with /usr/spool/news before tonight :-))

I know I could find the answer of some questions in the code, but
I didn't have time to look at that now. And besides that, much
people (?) will sooner or later have the same questions.

-- 
-- ######   Jos Vos   ######   Internet   jos@idca.tds.philips.nl   ######
-- ######             ######   UUCP         ...!mcvax!philapd!jos   ######