Xref: utzoo news.software.b:7378 news.software.nntp:1243 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!shape.mps.ohio-state.edu!alden From: alden@shape.mps.ohio-state.edu (Dave Alden) Newsgroups: news.software.b,news.software.nntp Subject: Re: nntp files Message-ID: <1991Apr5.022105.9815@zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu> Date: 5 Apr 91 02:21:05 GMT References: <1991Mar31.214919.17956@ssd.kodak.com> <1991Apr3.213558.1035@cobber.cord.edu> <1991Apr4.210714.13027@world.std.com> Sender: usenet@zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu Distribution: na Organization: Department of Mathematics, The Ohio State University Lines: 67 Nntp-Posting-Host: shape.mps.ohio-state.edu In article <1991Apr4.210714.13027@world.std.com> Geoff writes: >nntpd needs to be made smarter about impolite, anti-social (one is >tempted say ``obnoxious'') NNTP transmitters that keep an idle connection >open just in case an article might arrive eventually (e.g. nntplink). I wasn't sure if I really wanted to respond to this, but out of the 10 unsolicited messages I've received so far commenting on this, I belive the following line sums up the whole thing: "Jesus, you'd think you slept with his 16-year-old daughter or something." anti-social: "contrary or hostile to the well-being of society". Hmm - I guess I just don't see how nntplink fits in this category. >In the meantime, you could try asking your NNTP neighbours to drop >connections when they have nothing to send (and to not connect just >because they have 0001 articles for you), if possible (I believe even >nntplink can be configured to be polite). Or you could do what over 200 sites have done so far - pick up my relaynews daemon patches. Granted, Henry and Geoff will tell you to jump in a lake if you run into any problems - but then again I've always enjoyed swimming - and will gladly help you swim too. :-) I do however agree with you that if you don't want your neighbors to run nntplink to you that you should ask them not to. I've had a note in my "standard blurb" that I send to all my news neighbors for over 1.5 years now, ie: [...info about my site...] Incoming Connection Info: We accept connections around the clock. I prefer nntplink over nntpxmit if you run it. Outgoing Connection Info: I run nntplink to your site by default. If you would prefer something else just drop me a note and we'll set you up. :-) [...more info about my site :-)...] So they are forewarned. I'm also going to add a note in the README for nntplink 3.0 stating that you should probably check with your neighbors before switching. Funny thing is that only 1 site has requested that I batch up their articles and only send them once/10 minutes (out of 32 nntp neighbors). And yes, it is very simple to have nntplink act exactly like nntpxmit: nntplink -I0 -S600 which makes it close the connection as soon as it finishes sending the current batch and then sleep for 10 minutes before checking for a new one. I wish you wouldn't waste your time finding a "rock" and instead work on "making my patches obsolete" along with "the output part of nntplink obsolete". The more I work with C News the happier I am that I am using it - it truly is better than a lot of the "so-called" professional packages that are out there - I just wish that we didn't have to have the religion along with the package. :-( ...dave -- Dave Alden, System Programmer MaBellNet: (614) 292-4962 Department of Mathematics FaxNet: (614) 292-7174 The Ohio State University Internet: alden@shape.mps.ohio-state.edu 231 W 18th Avenue UUCP: ...!osu-cis!alden Columbus, OH USA 43210 BITNET: alden@ohstpy