Path: utzoo!yunexus!ists!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!shadooby!samsung!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!apple!well!jef
From: jef@well.UUCP (Jef Poskanzer)
Newsgroups: news.software.b
Subject: Anyone interested in end-to-end checksums in news?
Summary: Today's 0.5 baked idea.
Message-ID: <14594@well.UUCP>
Date: 16 Nov 89 09:11:47 GMT
Article-I.D.: well.14594
Reply-To: Jef Poskanzer <jef@well.sf.ca.us>
Organization: Paratheo-Anametamystikhood Of Eris Esoteric, Ada Lovelace Cabal
Lines: 21

Seems like we could add an end-to-end checksum to netnews articles in
an upward compatible fashion.  Add a new header field, "Checksum: ",
based on the entire article except the Path: and Checksum: headers.
Modify the news software to add the checksum to locally-posted
articles, and check it if present on articles from elsewhere.

The only problem would be if the string "\nChecksum: " itself got munged.
But then we are no worse off than we are now.

Participation would be strictly voluntary.  If you are interested in
protecting your articles against getting munged, you have an incentive
to add in the checksum; if you are interested in seeing fewer munged
articles, you have an incentive to check the checksum.

Note that this means no more gratuitous header re-writing.  Bet Henry
like it for this reason...
---
Jef

      Jef Poskanzer  jef@well.sf.ca.us  {ucbvax, apple, hplabs}!well!jef
            "Talkers are no good doers." -- Shakespeare, Henry VI