[NNTP] Large article numbers extension

[Charles Lindsey]

In <20050728152025.GE3471 at finch-staff-1.thus.net> "Clive D.W. Feather" <clive at demon.net> writes:

>But, I would argue, any work to change clients would be better done by
>implementing a large numbers extension instead.

At which point we will have to agree to disagree.

In any case, now is not the time to decide the future solution. All we can
do in this draft is minor tweaks to ensure that the future possibilities
are left as open as possible.

I would not be averse to retreating from unsigned 32bit to signed 32 bit,
and I would not be averse to saying that any special meaning for article
#0 might be removed in a future standard.

If, in the meantime, Steve runs out of numbers, he will just have to
negotiate a flag day with his own clients.


>You misunderstand. Turnpike can run (on a per-server basis) in either
>NEWNEWS or article number mode. In each case the record of the current
>state is stored in binary files, not in a text file that can easily be
>edited.

Yes, I have that problem too with the Opera Mail engine, which uses a
totally opaque format for its files. Which is fine until the format gets
corrupted, and then you have no means of fixing it.

BTW, another way of dealing with a flag day is to delete that group
entirely from your system, and then resubscribe to it. Than way, even
Turnpike should cope with the change, but you still have a massive
'catchup' to do.

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Charles H. Lindsey ---------At Home, doing my own thing------------------------
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