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From: mathew@mantis.co.uk (CNEWS MUST DIE!)
Newsgroups: news.admin,news.software.b
Subject: Re: Really funny jokes being missed
Message-ID: <5ukZ24w164w@mantis.co.uk>
Date: 15 May 91 11:38:39 GMT
References: <282FD655.3D2A@tct.com>
Organization: Mantis Consultants, Cambridge. UK.
Lines: 52

chip@tct.com (Chip Salzenberg) writes:
> According to mathew@mantis.co.uk (CNEWS MUST DIE!):
> >"Model net.citizens" do not hack the news software to silently discard
> >articles which it is perfectly capable of delivering.
> 
> Quite.  Which is why G&H have done no such thing.
> 
> True, C News drops articles on the floor.  But it logs having done so,
> and it notifies the Usenet administrator in the output of newsdaily.

So what the hell use is that?  None of those Usenet administrators told *ME*
about it, and I'm the one who has to fix my software.

> True, it is sometimes possible to deliver articles that do not conform
> to the relevant RFCs.  But if that were done, of what value would the
> RFCs be?

If an article can be corrected to conform, then it should be, and should then
be delivered.

If an article cannot be corrected, then either
1) It should be dropped and an attempt made to notify the article originator,
or
2) It should be passed on anyway in the hope that the next site will have
   better software and be able to correct it; and optionally an attempt
   should be made to notify the article originator.

Option 2 might mean that people at offending sites get lots of automatic
mail. In which case, good!  It'll encourage them to fix their software, and
the news will still be being delivered.

With the situation as it is at the moment, there are STILL sites who don't
know that all their articles are being dropped, so non-conforming articles
will continue indefinitely.

> Geoff and Henry have done the Right Thing.

Rubbish. Throwing away data containing correctable errors, without issuing
any warning message, is NEVER the right thing.

>            Don't shoot the messenger.

There was no messenger. C News didn't tell me, remember?

>                                       Fix your software.

I have, and now I want to get C News fixed.


mathew