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From: jgd@uwmcsd1.UUCP
Newsgroups: news.software.b
Subject: Re: What to do with unknown newsgroups.
Message-ID: <1892@uwmcsd1.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 22-Mar-87 02:57:28 EST
Article-I.D.: uwmcsd1.1892
Posted: Sun Mar 22 02:57:28 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 22-Mar-87 23:52:52 EST
References: <7796@utzoo.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: U of Wis - Milwaukee, Computing Services
Lines: 75

Numerous previous articles have made a case for zapping "unknown" newsgroups
from the Newsgroups: header line.

[Lighting a match... ]

Much as I hate to do this [ :-) ], I will argue against this change by citing
the *documented STANDARD*.  (It's a dirty trick, but someone has to do it!)


==> RFC 850                                         June 1983
==>        Standard for Interchange of USENET Messages
==>                       Mark R. Horton
==> 
==> 
==> [ This memo is distributed as an RFC  only  to  make  this
==> information  easily  accessible to researchers in the ARPA
==> community.  It does not specify  an  Internet  standard. ] 
==> 
==> 1.  Introduction
==> 
==> This document defines the standard format for  interchange
==> of Network News articles among USENET sites.  It describes
==> the format for  articles  themselves,  and  gives  partial
==> standards for transmission of news.  ...
==> 
==> 	[Non-germane text deleted]
==> 
==> 2.1.5  Newsgroups  The  Newsgroups  line  specifies  which
==> newsgroup  or newsgroups the article belongs in.  ...
==> 
==> If an article is received with a Newsgroups  line  listing
==> some  valid newsgroups and some invalid newsgroups, a site
==> should  not  remove  invalid  newsgroups  from  the  list.
==> Instead,  the  invalid  newsgroups should be ignored.  For
==> example,  suppose  site  A  subscribes  to   the   classes
==> "btl.all"   and   "net.all",   and exchanges news articles
==> with site B,  which  subscribes  to   "net.all"   but  not
==> "btl.all".      Suppose   A   receives   an  article  with
==> "Newsgroups: net.micro,btl.general".     This  article  is
==> passed  on  to  B because B receives net.micro, but B does
==> not receive btl.general.  A must leave the Newsgroup  line
==> unchanged.   If  it  were  to  remove  "btl.general",  the
==> edited header could  eventually  reenter  the    "btl.all" 
==> class,  resulting in an article that is not shown to users
==> subscribing  to   "btl.general".    Also,  followups  from
==> outside  "btl.all"  would not be shown to such users.

Now, although the above cited RFC does not purport to be an Internet
standard, it *does* claim to reflect USENET standards.  I submit that
News B.2.11 conforms to this standard (at least insofar as section
2.1.5 is concerned.)

Recent proposals are to "break" News 2.11.  (By removing "unknown" newsgroups
from the "Newsgroups: header.)

If people want to change the way News works, they should change the
standards first.  (Or at least *propose* changing the standards, *THEN*
change the software.)  [This is a *religious* position -- don't argue! :-)]

Please keep in mind that as more and more sites start dropping branches of
the news directory tree, the situation described in the example of 2.1.5
will become more common.  If we start dropping "unknown" newsgroups from
the headers, (more?) little "black holes" will start appearing in USENET.
Enough articles get dropped on the floor as it is.  Besides, "junk" will
start getting more activity, and who *really* wants to read "junk"?

[Extinguishing match... just spotted Smokey the Bear.]
-- 
John G Dobnick
Computing Services Division @ University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
UUCP: {ihnp4|uwvax|uwmacc}!uwmcsd1!jgd
INTERNET: jgd@csd1.milw.wisc.edu

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