ietf-nntp LIST EXTENSIONS

Clive D.W. Feather clive at demon.net
Wed Sep 10 07:33:11 PDT 2003


Ken Murchison said:
>> I think it is. LIST EXTENSIONS provides a way to ensure what is there and
>> to know what options are available.
> Exactly, so why shouldn't we encourage clients to use it?  The trial and 
> error method is archaic.

Agreed.

I also don't have a problem with *encouraging* people to use it. I'm sure
we can find working to satisfy that.

My problems are elsewhere.

More precisely:
(1) Having reviewed the matter, I don't see why LIST EXTENSIONS can't be
    pipelined.
(2) Having reviewed the matter, I don't see why we're forbidding caching
    of the results as opposed to warning people of the risks.
(3) Saying SHOULD is rather stronger than just encouraging, because it has
    conformance implications.

>> It should *NOT* be a way of switching
>> extensions on and off.
> When did I ever say this.

I don't know if you did. It certainly has been suggested/claimed/stated in
the past, and saying "you must do LIST EXTENSIONS before XXXX" sounds very
like that.

> A server MUST NOT require LIST EXTENSIONS to 
> be used.  Either it supports commands, or it doesn't.  LIST EXTENSIONS 
> is for client discovery only, no to enable or disable commands.

Then we're in agreement.

>> But right now I think you're trying to solve a problem in the wrong way and
>> breaking things as a result.
> Please explain what would be broken.

>>> We could also add the following sentence:
>>> "Clients MUST issue this command before attempting to make use of any
>>> security extension."

looks very like "you MUST use LIST EXTENSIONS" to me.

-- 
Clive D.W. Feather  | Work:  <clive at demon.net>   | Tel:    +44 20 8495 6138
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