[NNTP] LIST EXTENSIONS (again)

[Mark Crispin]

On Tue, 9 Nov 2004, Russ Allbery wrote:
> Pine in its current implemention as you described it does not work with
> any INN installation that requires both AUTHINFO and MODE READER.

Please explain how.

If the user does not specify a /user=xxx specifier, it will not do 
AUTHINFO, and eventually it will hit a command that sends a 480 and Pine 
will AUTHINFO at that time.

The fact still remains that MODE READER itself is a broken, and that it is 
not permissible to require MODE READER before STARTTLS since TLS does a 
complete reversion to initial connection state.

That's right; STARTTLS has to undo MODE READER and restore the mode as 
unspecified.  If NNTP TLS does not say this, then it's in violation of 
TLS.

There's no escape.  MODE READER is broken.  The only way to keep that 
function is to split the service on separate ports; or, just give up on 
the function.  Either way, MODE READER can not be salvaged.

You can't say that MODE READER is required but not really required; that 
MODE READER is required before AUTHINFO but actually required after 
AUTHINFO if not really required.  But that's what you're trying to say if 
you attempt to retain the status quo.

TLS is just the straw that breaks the MODE READER camel's back.

If we talk about recommendations in a "compatibility with pre-NNTPv2 
servers" document, I'm all for talking about MODE READER in all its 
ugliness.  But let's free the NNTPv2 world from this abomination.  Let's 
save future clients from having to deal with it.

-- Mark --

http://staff.washington.edu/mrc
Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.