[NNTP] Consistency in replies to 420 in RFC 3977
Julien ÉLIE
julien at trigofacile.com
Tue Feb 15 11:47:49 PST 2011
Following a discussion with Alfred Hönes, who reported:
> Appendix C, on page 119, says:
>
> Response code 412
> Generated by: ARTICLE, BODY, GROUP, HDR, HEAD, LAST, LISTGROUP,
> NEXT, OVER, STAT
> Meaning: no newsgroup selected.
>
> Response code 420
> Generated by: ARTICLE, BODY, HDR, HEAD, LAST, NEXT, OVER, STAT
> Meaning: current article number is invalid.
>
> Please be aware of the different wording used:
> "no newsgroup selected" vs. "current article number is invalid"
>
> These two phrases, respectively, are used in a totally consistent way,
> throughout the RFC, in the specification of possible command responses
> when it comes to referring to these two response codes.
>
> The text, "no newsgroup selected", also appears in all examples
> where response code 412 is returned by the server.
>
> Interestingly enough, all examples in the RFC where the response
> code 420 is returned by the server consistently do *not* use the
> above quoted phrase from Appendix C, but instead say:
>
> [S] 420 No current article selected
Well seen :-)
Yet, the comment after the response code is only informative.
A news server can put anything it wants. Even nothing.
I bet the wording "no current article selected" is more user-friendly
than "current article number is invalid".
The meaning in Appendix C can be worded differently. I do not
see a problem here.
No need for an erratum. The question could of course be risen
if RFC 3977 is moved to Draft Standard.
To the working group: Where nits like these one should be kept
for future reference? (Errata?)
--
Julien ÉLIE
« La science consiste à passer d'un étonnement à l'autre. »
(Aristote)
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