Path: utzoo!utstat!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!maytag!looking!brad
From: brad@looking.on.ca (Brad Templeton)
Newsgroups: news.software.b
Subject: Re: Dynamic "smart" expiration?
Message-ID: <69903@looking.on.ca>
Date: 1 Jan 90 04:13:26 GMT
References: <1989Dec27.033817.9953@smsc.sony.com> <1989Dec28.063932.13720@robohack.UUCP> <68634@looking.on.ca> <1989Dec29.213539.2801@utzoo.uucp> <6118@yunexus.UUCP> <69448@looking.on.ca> <1120@utoday.UUCP> <`QF52&@rpi.edu> <69654@looking.on.ca> <89Dec31.171430es <BR
Organization: Looking Glass Software Ltd.
Lines: 42
Class: misc

What would be really useful would be to define an extensible .newsrc format,
just as the header format is extensible.

There are many thinks I wanted to add to the .newsrc.  So did RN.  But you
can't.  Just the options line.  So we get Rn's last and soft files etc. and
my .newsrclas file.

Let's define an extensible format, hack rn and readnews to understand it,
and then everybody can use it.

Before doing that it might be a good idea to consider if the 1-10,12,30-40
style is the best.  It is a bit cumbersome, and requires memory re-allocs
in the software.   But it is reasonably compact for a non-binary format.


Some extensions I have in mind are:
	a) RN wants to keep pointers into the active file
	b) I want to keep a 'last article filtered' counter.  (if you do
		complex filtering on a high-volume group, you want your
		filter to run in the background, and have your reader only
		show you articles your filter has processed)
	c) Various folks would like flags on groups, pointers to files or
		options associated with the group.
	d) Eric was going to put message-ids to kill in the .newsrc
	e) readnews puts its own options there
	f) There might be more options than subscribed and unsubscribed.
	   For example, filtered.

I am sure people can think of others.  Which is why you need an extensible
format.

Perhaps something simple like:

groupname[:!] [fieldname=data;]*

with fields delimited by something like colons or semicolons, and the
default field (ie anything starting with a digit) is the 'seen articles list'
-- thus degenerating to the current format.   Leave : and ! as the delim
after the group name, but add extra fields for other kinds of subscription.

-- 
Brad Templeton, ClariNet Communications Corp. -- Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473