ietf-nntp MODE READER proposed new text

[Russ Allbery]

I've just finished taking the time this weekend to review the complete
mailing list archives and read all of the traffic on the working group
since the beginning.  I think I have a much firmer grasp on the issues
here now; it's a good exercise to go through.

I'm trying to find the time now to send out some comprehensive comments,
including an audit of INN for compliance with the standard as it currently
stands.

Stan O Barber <sob at verio.net> writes:

> Here is what is in the text:

>             MODE READER MAY be used by the client to indicate to the
>             server that it is a news reading client. This command may be
>             entered at any time. The server MUST present a greeting code
>             (as described in section 7.1.2.1) appropriate to the
>             server's ability to provide service to this client in this
>             mode.

This isn't sufficient to represent existing practice, which I think is the
goal.  Existing practice is rather:

    MODE READER SHOULD be used by any client intending to read news from
    the server (as opposed to transfer news to the server using IHAVE or
    similar commands) that it is a news reading client.  This command MAY
    put the server into a different mode, meaning that prior to the
    sending of this command the NNTP commands designed for article reading
    may not be available.

    This command may be sent at any time.  The server MUST present a
    greeting code (as described in sectino 7.1.2.1) appropriate to the
    server's ability to provide service to this client in response to a
    MODE READER command.  The client should be aware that after MODE
    READER has been sent, article transfer commands such as IHAVE may not
    be available for the remainder of the session.

This may not be the way the protocol is *supposed* to work, or ideally
would work, but since I believe the purpose of this draft is to document
current practice as best as possible rather than clean up warts, I think
this is the sort of language we should go with.

-- 
Russ Allbery (rra at stanford.edu)             <http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/>