Xref: utzoo alt.bbs.waffle:912 news.software.b:6679 Path: utzoo!utgpu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!ox.com!mudos!mju From: mju@mudos.ann-arbor.mi.us (Marc Unangst) Newsgroups: alt.bbs.waffle,news.software.b,fido.ufgate Subject: Re: Moving news thru waffle node, with out decompression Message-ID: Date: 18 Jan 91 22:43:43 GMT References: <4f340ead.1bc5b@pisa.ifs.umich.edu> Organization: The Programmers' Pit Stop, +1 313 665 2832 Lines: 21 rees@pisa.ifs.umich.edu (Jim Rees) writes: > The path is just a clue as to how the article got here. If it's wrong, it > doesn't break anything that wasn't already broken (like software that tries > to reply along the path). No, the Path: header is also used to prevent propagation of duplicate messages. Although the Message-ID: header is the primary method of rejecting duplicates, Usenet software is supposed to examine the Path: header for the name of the site it's about to send the article to; if it's there, that indicates that the article has already been there and need not be sent again. Also, like it or not, there *is* software out there that uses the Path: mudos!header to send the reply. Yes, they're using broken software -- but are YOU going to be the one to explain to your users why their inbound mail isn't getting to them? -- Marc Unangst | mju@mudos.ann-arbor.mi.us | "Bus error: passengers dumped" ...!umich!leebai!mudos!m