ietf-nntp Merging ARTICLE, HEAD, BODY, and STAT

[Clive D.W. Feather]

Stan O. Barber said:
>> No they aren't. The results returned are *identical* except:
>> - the last digit of the 22x response;
>> - which lines are returned following a 22x response;
>> - 220, 221, and 222 are multiline responses whereas 223 isn't.
> 
> From my perspective, it looks like that have some similiarities, but they are
> not identical.

I would have called it stronger than just "some similarities".

>> No. However, the behaviour of the commands IS REQUIRED TO BE IDENTICAL
>> except for the points I mention. So I see no reason not to make this
>> clear in the standards document.
> I don't have a problem with this being clear in the document. I think our ideas
> of what makes it clear are different.

True.

> I think it is important that a document
> reader can go to a section that describes a particular command and read that
> section to get as much information about that command without having to read
> other sections for extensive clarification.
> 
> The way that you have written it, an implementor must read about the ARTICLE
> command to understand the way the STAT command works. I don't agree with this
> approach.

But, to understand the way that the ARTICLE command works they must read
about the GROUP command, and the general section about response codes and
multiline responses. I don't see the difference.

My experience from other standards work is that if you say the same thing
in two different ways or two different places one of them is likely to end
up being wrong. You then have a standard which is at the least unclear and
at the worst inconsistent.

The present text has minor wording differences between the four cases. I
know you've said that this can be fixed, but the fact that it's happened at
all is surely symptomatic of the problem I'm trying to prevent.


I see that Chin has expressed an opinion. Does nobody else have a view on
this ? Reminder: you can see my proposed wording at:
    http://www.davros.org/nntp-texts/section-9.2.txt

-- 
Clive D.W. Feather  | Work:  <clive at demon.net>   | Tel:  +44 20 8371 1138
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