Xref: utzoo news.admin:13047 news.software.b:7323 news.misc:6380 news.sysadmin:3613
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!bfmny0!tneff
From: tneff@bfmny0.BFM.COM (Tom Neff)
Newsgroups: news.admin,news.software.b,news.misc,news.sysadmin
Subject: Re: Distribution Not Working
Keywords: Distribution news
Message-ID: <25321805@bfmny0.BFM.COM>
Date: 1 Apr 91 20:30:00 GMT
References: <1961@news.tcs.com> <1991Mar30.130202.25811@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG>
Reply-To: tneff@bfmny0.BFM.COM (Tom Neff)
Followup-To: news.admin
Lines: 48

gwu@tcs.com (George Wu) writes in news.admin: 
> I came across the included article in rec.skiing. I notice that the
> distribution line is reasonable, so why did I get it out here in
> California? Could someone notify the "proper" authorities, or send me
> their addresses? I just thought I'd help reduce someone's phone bill .
>
> Distribution: nj

Well, first of all, the straight-out answer to George's question is that
he got it because *all* of the sites in the article's Path: header
decided to pass it on.  If George doesn't want to receive nj.* articles,
he can and should start with his nearest newsfeed site and ask THEM why
they feed him nj.*, then work over towards the originator site if necessary.

The point is that this is not some mystery question.  Every article
contains the clues you need to find out how you got it.

In article <1991Mar30.130202.25811@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) writes:
>Distribution as a mechanism is poorly designed for a network full of
>antique software and poorly maintained sites. It depends on every single
>site in the desired distribution area reliably respecting and copying
>the Distribution line. If as few as one site doesn't copy the line, or
>doesn't respect it, the article leaks out of the area desired and is
>seen on the net.

There's even more to it than that.  Regional distributions can be seen
in one of two ways: as a restrictive "quarantine" mechanism or as a
selective *courtesy* to your news neighbors.  Posting something
distributed to nj.* says:  If you DON'T want to know about New Jersey
stuff, here's a way to block it.

If someone wants to use distribution as a quarantine, as for an in-house
corporate news net that might carry sensitive info, then it's their
responsibility on the OUTGOING side to make sure nobody feeds company.*
to Slobber State U. or Joe's Basement Fidonet #15.

But if it's just a matter of discovering that 'Announcing Santa Cruz
Renaissance Faire' or 'Help Fight Sandy Hook Beach Closings' is being
broadcast to unexpected parts of the country, I counsel all net.nannies
to take their proverbial stress pill and go worry about something else.
Remember there are legitimate reasons why people might want to keep
track of stuff happening elsewhere in the world, even if the people
writing the stuff THINK nobody else cares!  There are such things as:
bicoastal marriages, six month sabbaticals, fond childhood memories,
special projects, even simple curiosity.

The Distribution field is useful information; it should not be treated
as a Soviet-style internal passport.