Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!ginosko!uunet!kddlab!titcca!ccut!choshi!frf!ted
From: ted@frf.omron.junet (Ted Timar)
Newsgroups: news.software.b
Subject: Re: C news compatibility (was Re: Patch dates or Patch Numbers)
Summary: Snap out of it.
Message-ID: <291@frf.omron.junet>
Date: 23 Aug 89 12:39:04 GMT
References: <1989Aug9.164003.20669@utzoo.uucp> <6717@dayton.UUCP> <1989Aug19.004434.29961@utstat.uucp> <64167@uunet.UU.NET> <1989Aug19.225027.24194@utzoo.uucp>
Reply-To: tmatimar@watmath.waterloo.edu (Ted Timar)
Followup-To: news.software.b
Organization: OMRON TATEISI ELECTRONICS Co., Kyoto, Japan.
Lines: 45


	Rick and Henry are both considered Net.Gods.  Geoff probably soon
will be.

	Why are you flaming each other in news.software.b?

	Please stop.  Discuss the situation by E-mail, then calmly and
rationally post, your conclusions.  Even if they just say, "Here are our
opinions.  We disagree on these 5 points."

	My comments are:

	Long ago, somebody told me, "If the documentation disagrees with the
code, they are probably both wrong."  This is probably worth considering
in the B2.11 vs. RFC 822/1036 considerations.

	It is a well known fact that what are known to the world as "bugs"
are known to programmers as "undocumented features".  This could also be used
to explain the above controversy.

	Personally, I see only a few potential problems.  If the Message-Id
is treated as case insensitive, one day, some really stupid program will
produce message-id's that differ only in case.

	If Message-Id's are treated as case sensitive, some stupid program
will convert all incoming Message-Id's to upper (or lower case).

	The best rule I can see is to treat Message-Id's as case sensitive,
and risk getting duplicates on rare occasions.

	Regardless of all else, being as there are other news programs
to consider.  These are B3.0 (TMNN), Notes and software for other OS's.
Please look at all of these, and come to some consensus.  (Have a vote
among all of the authors or something.)

	When you come to this consensus, change the RFC without delay.
Do it NOW.  Please do not wait until tomorrow.  TMNN is forthcoming.
Many programs of who's existence we are totally unaware are being written
right now.

-- 
These are OBVIOUSLY my opinions and no-one else's.
Ted Timar
tmatimar@watmath.waterloo.edu
uunet!watmath!tmatimar