ietf-nntp DEBUG command (9xx)

[Clive D.W. Feather]

Chin Chee-Kai said:
>>> ! 9xx - Intermediate response to be followed by another response.
>>> [......]
>>> ! A response of the 9xx pattern will always be immediately followed by
>>> ! a further response (which may also be of the 9xx pattern) to the same
>>> ! command.

> Perhaps we need not re-invent the "continuation" mechanism used
> widely in multi-line FTP responses as in (modified to the example
> above),
> 
>      291-Debugging Message
>      291-GROUP uk.text /usr/spool/news/misc/test
>      291 1234 3000234 3002322 misc.test
> 
> This allows the entire response to be logically treated as a
> single response line,

Unfortunately there are two problems with this:

Firstly, existing clients don't expect to look for a dash or a space after
the three digit number.

Secondly, and more important, this isn't a case of a multi-line response
but rather of needing two separate responses - a debugging response and a
normal one. Consider ARTICLE; does a 495 response replace 412, 420, 423,
or 430 ? With my proposal it's clear: the 995 response is followed by the
desired normal response.

-- 
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