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From: eggert@twinsun.com (Paul Eggert)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.misc
Subject: Please use valid `Date:' lines in digest entries
Message-ID: <9101212324.AA20350@ata.twinsun.com>
Date: 21 Jan 91 23:24:01 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Lines: 33

Could I make a little plea to the moderator to post `Date:' lines that conform
to the Usenet standard?  Invalid `Date:' lines mess up news readers like NN
that sort digest entries by date.

For example, the following dates taken from recent digest entries are invalid:


		Date: Fri Jan 11 18:41:29 GMT 1991

	This looks the the output of the Unix `date' command, which is is
	invalid here.


		Date: Sat, 12 Jan 91 02:28:56 IST

	IST isn't in the list timezone names in the standard.  Is it India,
	Iran, Iraq, or Israel (:-)?  It's better to say something like `+0530'
	instead of `IST' to remove the ambiguity.  Other timezones with this
	problem include ADT, MET, MEX, MEZ.


		Date: Mon,  7 Jan 1991 10:34:48.19 MST

	The .19 isn't kosher.


		Date: Tue, 04 Jan 90

	A time must be supplied.


The relevant Internet standards for the format of dates are RFC-822 as modified
by RFC-1123.  Thanks.  -- Paul <eggert@twinsun.com>