nntp-extensions Re: ietf-nntp NNTP SEARCH extension internet-draft available

[Mark Crispin]

On Thu, 31 Oct 1996 12:34:06 -0800, Brian Hernacki wrote:
> However, what about other mechanisms which do not exist in IMAP but
> exist or are need in NNTP? NEWGROUPS and (the proposed) LIST
> SUBSCRIPTIONS, and LIST MOTD for example?

I think that it is important to separate "exists" from "is needed".

For example, I believe that NEWGROUPS is an artifact of a bygone day when it
was desirable and practical to tell the user about new newsgroups.  But today,
now that every day a hundred new alt.sex.gerbils.naughty.ha.ha.ha.ha groups
pop up, I see no value in it.

I would not, however, stand in the way of adding it if it was needed.

The issue is to determine need.  I believe that "need" means "an IMAP
implementator is stuck without this function being available, and there is no
satisfactory alternative."  It makes no sense to copy a function from NNTP to
IMAP just because it's there, or someone who does not plan to implement IMAP
says it should be there.


I'm not sure what LIST SUBSCRIPTIONS does.  If this is for remote .newsrc
support, IMAP already supports this with its LSUB command.


What is LIST MOTD?  Is this a client-initiated version of the server-initiated
ALERT mechanism in IMAP?


> It does not make sense to add the existing IMAP search to NNTP. It lacks
> the ability to search multiple folders...which is needed to be useful
> for news.

I am still waiting for an answer to my question about the "moral" issues of
search.  Not all that long ago, I heard the NNTP crowd saying that IMAP was
morally wrong