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From: eggert@twinsun.com (Paul Eggert)
Newsgroups: news.admin,news.software.b
Subject: C News's conservatism
Message-ID: <1991Jun26.182201.10100@twinsun.com>
Date: 26 Jun 91 18:22:01 GMT
References: <1991Jun26.155257.5692@zoo.toronto.edu>
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Organization: Twin Sun, Inc
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henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes:

>To properly implement the robustness principle,
>when you relay traffic you *must* make sure it meets the specs, either
>by repairing deviations or by rejecting nonconforming articles....
>We chose rejection....

In short, here's the C News line of reasoning:

	Be conservative in what you send.
	Send an exact copy of what you accept.
	---------------------------------------- [ therefore ]
	Be conservative in what you accept.

The logic is inexorable.  By this argument, the signs of liberality in
what C News currently accepts are bugs, strictly speaking, if the
article is sent elsewhere.  E.g. to conform with the RFCs, C News
should no longer forward articles whose dates have days like
`Wednesday' or hours like `1:23:45'.