[NNTP] Re: Updated news-nntp-uri I-D

[Charles Lindsey]

In <20071126165906.GI19446 at finch-staff-1.thus.net> "Clive D.W. Feather" <clive at demon.net> writes:

>Charles Lindsey said:
>>> 4.  Syntax of 'news' URIs
>[...]
>> No! Please do not attempt to write (yet another) full syntax for msg-ids
>> here. We have already done that once in [USEFOR] (ugly but necessary).
>[...]

>In any case, there is a further problem that RFC 3977 is much more generous
>in what it allows:

>    message-id = "<" 1*248A-NOTGT ">"
>    A-NOTGT    = %x21-3D / %x3F-7E  ; exclude ">"

OK, we have essentially two possibilities:
1. restrict it to the USEFORE msgid syntax
2. allow the wider RFC 3977 syntax

The point I was making was that if we went for #1, as Franks draft
proposes, then we should use the syntax given in USEFOR normatively,
rather than inventing yet-another-version-of-it.

But #2 is also a reasonable possibility, though it needs the '@' to be
specified, as you say, and one would need to watch the syntax of URLs, and
to use %-encoding where needed. In that case, you suggested syntax looks
reasonable.

As to whether we should do #2, people should express opinions. I think I
marginally prefer to remain with #1 (since it is the news: URL where this
will be used, rather than the nntp: one).

>I can see that this leads to an ambiguity when there is no at sign in the
>message-ID. Therefore I suggest:

>    article  = 1*mid-char "@" 1*mid-char
>    mid-char = unreserved / pct-encoded / sub-delims / "@" / "/"
>    unreserved  = <defined in RFC 3986 section 2.3>
>    pct-encoded = <defined in RFC 3986 section 2.2>
>    sub-delims  = <defined in RFC 3986 section 2.1>

>>>    The form identifying <newsgroups> corresponds to the [RFC3977]
>>>    <wildmat-pattern>, a newsgroup name with wildcards "*" and "?".  Any
>>>    "?" has to be be percent-encoded as "%3F" in this part of an URI.
>>>    Examples, the first two are equivalent:
>> 
>> I disagree entirely with your use of <wildmat-pattern> here, when
>> <wildmat> would do perfectly well.
>[...]

>+1

Noted. Now try to persuade Frank :-)

-- 
Charles H. Lindsey ---------At Home, doing my own thing------------------------
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