Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!ucsd!brian From: brian@ucsd.Edu (Brian Kantor) Newsgroups: news.software.nntp Subject: Re: .newsrc across the network Message-ID: <10082@ucsd.Edu> Date: 28 Oct 89 07:18:46 GMT References: <1510@intercon.com> Reply-To: brian@ucsd.edu (Brian Kantor) Organization: The Avant-Garde of the Now, Ltd. Lines: 18 Once you have user identification at the NNTP level (document forthcoming, in my copious free time, heh heh heh), you could have the server simply maintain the .newsrc information - you don't need the file or its data at all in the newsreader, since the purpose of the .newsrc file is to provide a list of groups subscribed to, and the articles in that group which have already been presented to the user. Thus someone could, if they wish, simply have the NEXT and GROUPS commands respond as filtered by the user's subscription and reading experience as recorded by the server. In today's world of high-power workstations, I don't think that's efficient use of the server, but it's an implementation question that is site-configurable. It would also allow real easy measurement of readership. And it would reduce the size of simple newsreader programs. - Brian