Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!netsys!jsheese!jeffery
From: jeffery@jsheese.FIDONET.ORG (Jeff Sheese)
Newsgroups: news.admin
Subject: References line (RFC1036)
Message-ID: <59.24690105@jsheese.FIDONET.ORG>
Date: 11 May 89 03:36:16 GMT
Organization: JStek Enterprises - Frederick, MD
Lines: 33

After a quick (read - not thorough) browse through RFC1036, the following  
excerpts make me ask if the 'References' is really required by RFC1036.  Now  
I'm not questioning the need or usefulness of the line, but I read this as it  
being an optional header line.  If it is indeed optional, at least until  
required by an updated RFC, does this warrant shutting out registered systems  
from netnews?

Excerpts follow:

2.  Message Format
    Certain headers are required, and certain other headers are
    optional.  Any unrecognized headers are allowed, and will be passed
    through unchanged.  The required header lines are "From", "Date",
    "Newsgroups", "Subject", "Message-ID", and "Path".  The optional
    header lines are "Followup-To", "Expires", "Reply-To", "Sender",
    "References", "Control", "Distribution", "Keywords", "Summary",
    "Approved", "Lines", "Xref", and "Organization".  Each of these
    header lines will be described below.

2.2.  Optional Headers
2.2.3.  Followup-To
2.2.5.  References
    This field lists the Message-ID's of any messages prompting the
    submission of this message.  It is required for all follow-up
    messages, and forbidden when a new subject is raised.


--  
Jeff Sheese - via FidoNet node 1:109/116
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