Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.toronto.edu!ietf-nntp-distribution-owner
Date: Tue, 25 Jun 1991 09:42:28 -0400
From: brian@UCSD.EDU (Brian Kantor)
Message-ID: <9106251342.AA28251@ucsd.edu>
Original-To: ietf-nntp@turbo.bio.net
Subject: Re: should batch/ibatch/image/et al apply to the article command?
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>NEWNEWS and ARTICLE were really invented for news readers, not news transfer

No, whilst they are currently of primary interest for newsreaders, it
was my idea that they could be used for demand feeds ("suck" instead of
"blow").  In fact, when we were inventing NNTP, that was a major point
of contention: whether news feeds were to inhale or exhale.  The
compromise was to include facilities for both.

As you may recall, I've often stated that people shouldn't use
'nntpxfer' to suck in news articles because it's a hack.  That refers
to the PROGRAM, not the technique.  I still think it's a good way to do
news if you have anything less than a full feed, but I ascribe the fact
that few are doing it to programmer laziness rather than any flaw in
the concept.
	- Brian