[NNTP] Snapshot 6

[Peter Robinson]

Clive D.W. Feather <clive at demon.net> wrote:

> Peter Robinson said:

> > [S] -480 READER POST
> > [S] READER
> > [S] .
> > 
> > [S] -480 READER POST
> > [S] .
> 
> > Is it sufficiently clear/obvious that the
> > -480 applies only to POST in the first example?
> 
> A client is allowed to ignore the -480 line, so anyone writing a client
> should be clear that READER is available in the first instance whether or
> not you parse the modifier or not.

OK, so one rule is that a line without a modifier always trumps a line
with.  I'm thinking about how to parse the whole lot, including modifers
in the general case.

> > And what does this:
> > 
> > [S] -480 READER
> > [S] -483 READER
> > [S] .
> > 
> > mean?  Is it one or the other, or is it both required to activate
> > READER?
> 
> Either, because:
> 
>   [S] -483 -480 READER
> 
> means "privacy, then authentication" required.

So the rule is that conflicting modifiers (or lack of modifiers) are
always combined with 'or'.  That's good enough to be unambiguous in
every case.  Any chance of putting that idea in the document somehow?

Peter