Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!bbn!drilex!dricejb
From: dricejb@drilex.UUCP (Craig Jackson drilex1)
Newsgroups: news.software.b
Subject: Re: Dynamic "smart" expiration?
Message-ID: <7171@drilex.UUCP>
Date: 2 Jan 90 15:15:28 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: DRI/McGraw-Hill, Lexington, MA
Lines: 16

Might I point out that those sites with 100 machines mounting /news, or 100
machines accessing news via nntp, aren't going to benefit from newsrc-based
expiration anyway?  In a population as large as 100, the union of all
newsgroups-subscribed-to is likely to be large. Also, somebody is probably
out of town, so they're way behind in that group.

It would seem to me that newsrc-based expiration would really only be 
interesting when there are fewer than 20 readers or so.

As for the issue of NFS, NNTP, and wierd newsreaders: if 'newsrc' based
expiration is desirable, it may be necessary (and useful) to mandate
an additional means for indicating subscription and 'read' status.  SMOP :-)...
-- 
Craig Jackson
dricejb@drilex.dri.mgh.com
{bbn,axiom,redsox,atexnet,ka3ovk}!drilex!{dricej,dricejb}