ietf-nntp 32/64 bit question

[Clive D.W. Feather]

Anton Chr. Lauridsen said:
> Nice one, I like that solution. This may be slightly off topic, but the
> introduction to extensions hints that getting an extension registered
> may very easily be rejected, based on the introduction in paragraph 8.
> 
>>   It must be emphasized that any extension to the NNTP service should
>>   not be considered lightly. NNTP's strength comes primarily from its
>>   simplicity. Experience with many protocols has shown that:
>>
>>      Protocols with few options tend towards ubiquity, whilst protocols
>>      with many options tend towards obscurity.
>>
>>   This means that each and every extension, regardless of its benefits,
>>   must be carefully scrutinized with respect to its implementation,
>>   deployment, and interoperability costs. In many cases, the cost of
>>   extending the NNTP service will likely outweigh the benefit.

I inherited that wording from Stan, so I don't know it's origins. I do,
however, agree with it.

That doesn't mean that extensions are automatically going to get rejected.
It's more of a "think before you propose".

> And at the end of the same paragraph:
>>   A server MUST NOT send different response codes to basic NNTP
>>   commands documented here or commands documented in registered
> Forcing a potential BIGNUM extension to be registered.

Um, no. That says that a potential BIGNUM extension can't cause a 202 or
203 response to initial connection, or a 474 response to GROUP, to indicate
a problem with big article numbers. This is why we added the 401 response.
401 can be generated by unregistered extensions.

> Do we/you have
> any views regarding the rejection/acceptance of extensions ?

We say that registered extensions must be IESG-approved (either standards
track or experimental).

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